to the Personnel Administration Measures
Transcript of to the Personnel Administration Measures
i
School Management Team Members’ Understanding of Their Duties According
to the Personnel Administration Measures
By
TEBOGO STANISLAUS ABEL MAJA
Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree
Magister Educationist
(Education Leadership)
Department of Education Management Law and Policy
Faculty of Education
University of Pretoria
Supervisor:
Dr Eric Eberlein
Co-Supervisor:
Dr Nylon Marishane
2016
© University of Pretoria
ii
ETHICS CERTIFICATE
© University of Pretoria
iii
DECLARATION BY RESEARCHER
I, Tebogo Stanislaus Abel Maja (student number: 10671154), declare that this mini-
dissertation for the degree Masters in Education, at the University of Pretoria
entitled: School management team members’ understanding of their duties
according to the Personnel Administration Measures, is my own original work and
that it has been submitted by me for degree purposes at this university and not at
any other university, and that all sources used and or quoted have been
acknowledged by means of complete reference.
© University of Pretoria
iv
DECLARATION BY EDITOR
© University of Pretoria
v
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I hereby wish to express my sincere gratitude to the following for their valuable
inspiration:
The Almighty God for courage and strength.
My supervisor, Dr Eric Eberlein, for patiently guiding me through this dissertation.
My co-supervisor for taking time to work on this dissertation.
Mrs Kgantshi Francina Ngoato for typing this dissertation.
SMT members who participated in this study.
The University of Pretoria Library staff for their patience.
The Limpopo Department of Education for allowing me to conduct this study in the
Sepitsi Circuit of the Lebowakgomo District.
© University of Pretoria
vi
DEDICATION
This study is dedicated to God the Almighty for giving me strength, wisdom and
courage. This study is also dedicated to my family, my wife, Nomthandazo Maja, my
children, Kamogelo Maja, Banele Maja and Oratile Maja, for their support.
© University of Pretoria
vii
KEY WORDS
Heads of Department, Distributed leadership, Personnel Administration Measures,
Management Teams, Duties and Responsibilities, Participative Leadership.
© University of Pretoria
viii
ACRONYMS
PAM Personnel Administration Measures
DoE Department of Education
HOD Head of Department
SMT School Management Team
SMTs School Management Teams
© University of Pretoria
ix
LIST OF ANNEXURES
Annexure A - Approval - Ethics application
Annexure B - Permission from the Limpopo Department of Education
Annexure C - Letter of Informed Consent - Individual participant
Annexure D - letter of Consent - Principal
Annexure E - Interview protocol
Annexure F - List of figures
Annexure G - List of Tables
© University of Pretoria
x
ABSTRACT
This study aimed to investigate and describe the School Management Team (SMT)
members’ understanding of their duties as stipulated in the Personnel Administration
Measures (PAM, 1998).
A qualitative research approach was used to investigate SMT members’
understanding of their duties within school management teams. Principals of three
purposively selected Secondary Schools, in the Sepitsi circuit of the Lebowakgomo
District of the Limpopo Province of South Africa, acted as participants for this study,
together with two purposively selected members of their school’s SMT. Each
participant was interviewed, using a semi-structured interview. The study was framed
by a conceptual framework made up of concepts gleaned from distributed leadership
theory, together with the core duties of SMT members as stipulated in the PAM
(1998).
The main findings of this study are that most principals still have a problem regarding
the concept of working as a team and that although participants have access to the
PAM document, many have not read it and therefore do not know what their roles on
the SMT require. This causes conflict and disunity among SMT members, with a
negative impact on leadership and management effectiveness.
© University of Pretoria
1
Table of Contents Ethics certificate ii
Declaration by Researcher iii
Declaration by Editor iv
Acknowledgements v
Dedication vi
Key words vii
Acronyms viii
List of Annexures ix
Abstract x
CHAPTER 1……………..……………………………………………….…………………..…….. 4
INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY……………..………………..……. 4
1.1. INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................................... 4
1.2. ORIENTATION AND BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY ........................................... 4
1.2.1. Hierarchical order of leadership and management in South Africa ........................... 4
1.2.2. Specific duties and functions of SMT members in South African schools ................ 5
1.2.3. School Management Team members of schools in the South African setting .......... 7
1.3. RATIONALE FOR THE STUDY ............................................................................... 8
1.4. PROBLEM STATEMENT ......................................................................................... 9
1.5. RESEARCH OBJECTIVES ...................................................................................... 9
1.6. RESEARCH QUESTIONS...................................................................................... 10
1.7. CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK .............................................................................. 10
1.8. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY AND DESIGN ....................................................... 13
1.8.1. Research orientation .............................................................................................. 14
1.8.2. Research sites and participants .............................................................................. 14
1.8.3. Data collection ........................................................................................................ 15
1.8.4. Data analysis .......................................................................................................... 15
1.9. ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS ............................................................................... 16
1.10. OUTLINE AND STRUCTURE OF THIS DISSERTATION ...................................... 17
1.11. SUMMARY ............................................................................................................. 17
CHAPTER 2 ........................................................................................................................ 19
LITERATURE REVIEW ....................................................................................................... 19
2.1. INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................... 19
© University of Pretoria
2
2.2. LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT IN EDUCATION ........................................... 20
2.2.1. Leadership .............................................................................................................. 20
2.2.2. Management........................................................................................................... 21
2.3. THEORIES OF LEADERSHIP ................................................................................ 24
2.3.1. Instructional leadership ........................................................................................... 24
2.3.2. Distributed leadership ............................................................................................. 25
2.3.2.1 Characteristics of distributed leadership .................................................................. 25
2.4. LEADERSHIP, MANAGEMENT AND TEAMWORK − THE CONNECTION .......... 27
2.5. INTERNATIONAL PERSPECTIVES ON SCHOOL MANAGEMENT TEAMS ........ 28
2.6. SCHOOL MANAGEMENT TEAMS IN THE SOUTH AFRICAN EDUCATION SYSTEM ... 30
2.6.1. School Management Team composition ................................................................ 30
2.6.2. The roles of SMT members in curriculum implementation ...................................... 31
2.7. SUMMARY ............................................................................................................. 33
CHAPTER 3 ........................................................................................................................ 35
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY AND DESIGN .................................................................... 35
3.1. INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................... 35
3.2. RESEARCH APPROACH, PARADIGM AND DESIGN .......................................... 35
3.2.1. Research approach ................................................................................................ 35
3.2.2. Research paradigm ................................................................................................ 36
3.2.3. Research design ..................................................................................................... 37
3.3. DATA COLLECTION STRATEGIES ...................................................................... 37
3.3.1. Semi-structured interviews ..................................................................................... 37
3.4. SAMPLING STRATEGIES AND PARTICIPANTS .................................................. 39
3.4.1. Research sites ........................................................................................................ 39
3.4.2. Participants ............................................................................................................. 39
3.5. DATA ANALYSIS ................................................................................................... 41
3.5.1. Content analysis ..................................................................................................... 41
3.6. CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK .............................................................................. 42
3.7. ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS ............................................................................... 42
3.7.1. Permission granted ................................................................................................. 43
3.7.2. Voluntary participation and informed consent ......................................................... 44
3.7.3. Confidentiality ......................................................................................................... 44
3.7.4. Anonymity ............................................................................................................... 45
3.8. SUMMARY ............................................................................................................. 45
© University of Pretoria
3
CHAPTER FOUR ................................................................................................................ 47
DATA PRESENTATION AND FINDINGS ............................................................................ 47
4.1. INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................... 47
4.1.1. Conducting the research ........................................................................................ 47
4.2. DATA PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS .............................................................. 48
4.2.1. Duties of the principal ............................................................................................. 49
4.2.2. Duties of the deputy principal ................................................................................. 49
4.2.3. The role of the head of department (HoD) .............................................................. 50
4.3. RESEARCH FINDINGS ......................................................................................... 60
4.3.8. SMT members‟ understanding of the duties of other team members ..................... 64
4.4. SUMMARY ............................................................................................................. 64
CHAPTER FIVE .................................................................................................................. 66
RECOMMENDATIONS AND CONCLUSION ...................................................................... 66
5.1. INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................... 66
5.2. SUMMARY OF FINDINGS ..................................................................................... 66
5.2.1. Duties of SMT with regard to: ................................................................................. 67
5.3. SUMMARY OF SECONDARY FINDINGS.............................................................. 69
5.3.1. Role confusion ........................................................................................................ 69
5.3.2. Relationship challenges .......................................................................................... 70
5.3.3. Workload distribution .............................................................................................. 71
5.3.4. Lack of cooperation ................................................................................................ 71
5.4. THE NEED FOR DISTRIBUTED LEADERSHIP .................................................... 71
5.5. SIGNIFICANCE OF THIS STUDY .......................................................................... 71
5.6. RECOMMENDATIONS .......................................................................................... 72
5.6.1. Workshops.............................................................................................................. 72
5.6.2. In-service training ................................................................................................... 73
5.6.3. Programme on distributed leadership ..................................................................... 73
5.6.4. HoD with expertise ................................................................................................. 73
5.6.5. Programme on duties of SMTs ............................................................................... 73
5.7. RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FUTURE RESEARCH ............................................. 73
5.8. THE LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY ...................................................................... 75
5.9. SUMMARY ............................................................................................................. 75
REFERENCES .................................................................................................................... 79
© University of Pretoria
4
CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY
1.1. INTRODUCTION
South African schools are managed and led by School Management Teams (hereafter,
SMT) under the leadership of the school principal. However, Gronn (2002:423) contends
that many school principals face a degree of opposition and difficulty from their SMTs when
they attempt to manage and lead their schools. There appears to be serious challenges to
the effectiveness and success of their leadership due to the fact that some SMT members
still apply and expect a more traditional way of leadership, even though this more traditional
style makes it difficult to cope with current trends in education. Although it is true that, prior
to 1994, school leadership was largely associated with the principal (Grant, Gardner, Kajee,
Moodly, & Somaroo, 2010:403), Naicker and Mestry (2011:99) posits that after the new
democratic dispensation in 1994, the need arose in South Africa for a move away from a
traditional leadership style to a more participatory approach to leadership in schools in
order to cope with the new trends in education. Considering the above, this study focuses
on SMT members‟ understanding of their duties as stipulated by the Personnel
Administration Measures (PAM, 1998).
1.2. ORIENTATION AND BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY
1.2.1. Hierarchical order of leadership and management in South Africa
Schools in South Africa employ a hierarchical order of management and leadership
according to which schools are led by a team comprising the school principal, the deputy
principal or deputy principals (depending on the size of the school) and the Head or Heads
of Departments (hereafter referred to as HoDs), again depending on the size of the school
(PAM, 1998). Some schools do not qualify − due to their smaller learner numbers − to have
both a deputy principal(s) and HoD(s) as per staff establishment, while some schools
qualify to have only a principal. In such instances, some educators on the staff may be co-
opted into the SMT according to their seniority, and as a result, they will be viewed as
members of the SMT of that particular school.
© University of Pretoria
5
1.2.2. Specific duties and functions of SMT members in South African schools
A number of pieces of legislation govern and guide South African schools in as far as
management and governance are concerned, the main pieces being:
a) The South African Schools Act, Act 84 of 1996, which governs and regulates the
general operations of South African schools. Chapter 3 of this Act, subsection 16
and 16A, outlines the duties and functions of the professional management of the
school, which it places firmly in the hands of the principal, together with their SMT.
The focus here is on principals as leaders, working together with the SMT;
b) The Employment of Educators Act, Act 76 of 1998, which also contains the
Personnel Administration Measures (hereafter referred to as the PAM). In short, this
document indicates and prescribes the main duties and functions of the principal as
the provision of professional leadership and management within the school. The
PAM further stipulates that the deputy principal‟s task is to assist the principal and
also to supervise the performance of staff members. The PAM further highlights that
the HoDs‟ role is to manage the curriculum in the school. A more detailed description
of the duties and functions of each of the members of the SMT in South African
schools follows under the headings teaching, personnel, general administration,
extra and co-curricular, and communication.
1.2.2.1. Teaching
The principal, deputy principal and HoDs teaching responsibilities are outlined and
prescribed in the PAM, paragraph 4.2 - 4.4. The principal, the deputy principal and HoDs
are expected to engage in class teaching as per the workload of the relevant post level and
the needs of the school.
1.2.2.2. Personnel
PAM (1998) outlines the personnel roles of the principal, the deputy principal and the heads
of department under chapter A, paragraph 4.2 – 4.4. The principal is intended to provide
professional leadership; the deputy principal has to supervise work and performance of staff
© University of Pretoria
6
members, while the HoDs advise the principal regarding work allocation and division among
staff members.
1.2.2.3. General administration
School management team members are responsible for general administration duties as
outlined in paragraph 4.2 - 4.4 of the PAM (1998) document. The principal is expected to
provide professional management of the school; the deputy principal is expected to
deputise for the principal during his/her absence; while the HoDs are expected to manage
their respective departments.
1.2.2.4. Extra and co-curricular activities
PAM (1998) detailed the roles of the principal, the deputy principal and the heads of
department in as far as extra co-curricular activities are concerned in paragraph 4.2 - 4.4.
Both the principal and the deputy principal are expected to promote the extra co-curricular
activities, while the HoDs are expected to be in charge of the subject learning area or
phase.
1.2.2.5. Communication
Chapter A, paragraph 4.2 - 4.4 (PAM, (1998) outlines in detail the roles, which the principal,
the deputy principal and the Heads of Department should play in as far as communication is
concerned. The principal is expected to communicate with staff members and the school
governing body members. The deputy principal has to communicate with all stakeholders;
for example, parents, the community, committees, government departments, etc. The HoDs
have to co-operate with colleagues in order to maintain the culture of teaching and learning
in the school.
© University of Pretoria
7
1.2.3. School Management Team members of schools in the South African setting
The South African education system acknowledges the importance of teamwork. This
emanates from the manner in which SMTs are constituted, and the roles and
responsibilities assigned to each member of these teams in the PAM (1998). However, the
problem appears to be found not in the theoretical demands of teamwork, but rather in the
practical application thereof. While numerous studies (Rosenbusch, 1997; Huber, 2004;
Bevoise, 1984; Hallinger & Murphy, 1985) confirm that SMT members need to work as a
team, authors such as van der Mesch and Tyala (2008), and Gronn (2002) posited that the
problem with implementation of teamwork in SMTs stems from members of SMTs probably
misunderstanding their duties. Similarly, a study conducted by Grant, Gardner, Kajee,
Moodly, and Somaroo (2010) found that educators perceive their role as that of being in the
classroom and teaching. Educators also hold the view that they should do nothing that
relates to shared leadership and management. The study by Grant et al, (2010) was aimed
at investigating educators‟ perceptions and experiences of teacher leadership within the
context of their schools. Their finding is significant in that all members of the SMT are
assigned certain teaching responsibilities, which Grant, Gardner, Kajee, Moodly, and
Somaroo (2010) stated are over-emphasised at the cost of the other duties and
responsibilities assigned to members of SMTs.
This flies in the face of Grant et al.‟s (2010) proposition that educator leadership within a
democratic distributed leadership environment can be used as a strategy to democratise
schools. These authors acknowledged the fact that there are still challenges regarding the
proper democratisation process of the South African education system, whilst at the same
time emphasising the importance of the role that democracy in schools can play in both the
South African education system and for society at large.
In summary, although the legislative framework that governs the South African education
system makes provision for and stipulates the duties and responsibilities of members of
SMTs in South African schools, it appears from a number of studies as though the SMT
members at the „chalk face‟ of the system lack a proper understanding of these duties and
responsibilities, which leads to confusion and tension within schools and a lack of proper
democratisation.
© University of Pretoria
8
1.3. RATIONALE FOR THE STUDY
The researcher‟s interest in this topic was highlighted by conversations he had with the
members of SMTs of other schools in his circuit. This led him to believe that many of the
members of those SMTs, be they Heads of Departments, deputy principals or principals
experience similar challenges in their respective schools because they appear not to
understand their own and their colleagues‟ roles in these teams, leading to poor
performance among these members in their daily duties. The researcher believes that this
lack of effectiveness in the functioning of the members of the SMTs could be the result of a
lack of cooperation at all levels between the members of these teams, and that this lack of
cooperation in turn could be the result of a lack of understanding of the respective duties of
different members of SMTs as stipulated in the PAM (1998).
Even though duties of SMT members are outlined in the PAM (1998), as discussed above,
there still appears to be lack of understanding among SMT members of what exactly their
duties are. Van der Mescht and Tyala (2008), in their study on perceptions of principals on
team management, a case study conducted in South African secondary schools, discussed
a number of findings in this regard. They found that there were misconceptions among
principals regarding their understanding of their duties in the school management team, and
also that principals and SMT members in South African schools experience certain
challenges with regard to their duties related to school management. This researcher
agrees with these authors and believes that one of the challenges experienced in managing
South African schools is that the SMT members‟ lack understanding of the role they are
required to play in the functioning of their schools‟ management teams. This is a major
concern to the South African system of education. Such a concern was also raised by the
principals in van der Mescht and Tyala‟s 2008 study.
These findings suggest that principals and SMT members are still unclear as to what their
duties are, and this lack of understanding causes unnecessary tensions among team
members. Van der Mescht and Tyala (2008) also reported the presence of tension among
SMT members other than the principal. Some of the tensions were claimed to have been
caused by lack of trust among members, disloyalty towards members and in some
instances even threats being made against SMT members. While some of these attitudes
and actions could possibly be caused by a lack of clarity or understanding of the specific
© University of Pretoria
9
duties of each member, there could well be other underlying reasons influencing their
behaviour.
In contrast, Grant, et al (2010:1) argued that leadership “can be stretched out over a range
of people who work at different levels”. These authors alluded to a move toward a more
participative mode of leadership in South Africa after the dawn of the new dispensation in
1994.
These varying perceptions of the duties of SMT members seem to suggest that there is still
a lack of clarity among SMT members as to what is expected of them in those teams. This
study, therefore, seeks to investigate and explore SMT members‟ understanding of their
duties according to the PAM, and focuses specifically on SMTs in the Sepitsi circuit of the
Lebowakgomo District of the Limpopo Province of South Africa.
1.4. PROBLEM STATEMENT
Despite clear guidance in the PAM (1998), some principals and other members of the SMT
appear not to understand their duties as members of these teams fully. This study
therefore, seeks to investigate SMT members‟ understanding of their duties as stipulated by
the Personnel Administration Measures (1998).
1.5. RESEARCH OBJECTIVES
The PAM (1998), as contained in the Employment of Educators Act, Act 76 of 1998,
outlines the duties of the SMT members as described above. It is thus, fair to assume that
as employees of the state are subject to the Employment of Educators Act (Act 76 of 1998),
members of SMTs would be aware of and understand their duties and therefore, function
according to the PAM (1998). However, despite the provision of these guidelines, there still
appears to remain uncertainty among SMT members about their duties, which causes
unnecessary tension in these teams (Van der Mescht and Tyala, 2008). This study
therefore, seeks to investigate and describe how SMT members in secondary schools
understand their duties as members of these teams as prescribed by the PAM (1998).
© University of Pretoria
10
1.6. RESEARCH QUESTIONS
The primary research question that guided this study was the following:
How do members of School Management Teams (SMTs) in secondary schools
understand their duties as prescribed by the Personnel Administration Measures
(PAM, 1998)?
The following secondary research questions assisted the researcher to clarify the main
researcher question stated:
a) What do School Management Team members understand their duties in the School
Management Team to be?
b) What do School Management Team members understand the duties of the other
members of the team to be?
c) How does this understanding affect relationships between and among the members
of the School Management Team?
1.7. CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK
A conceptual framework guides researchers on how to plan and organise their study
(Ferreira, 2012:34). The study therefore, revolves around the conceptual framework for the
sake of logic and proper organisation. The researcher uses a framework of concepts
related to (a) the theory of distributed leadership and (b) the duties of members of the SMT
as set out in the PAM (1998).
Huber (2004:670) defines distributed leadership as “the participation of others in leadership
tasks, so that there is a real empowerment in terms of true delegation of leadership power”.
Grant and Singh (2009) view distributed leadership as a shared activity in which all
educators and school management team members can participate, while Spillane (2005)
believes that distributed leadership entails “shared leadership”, “team leadership” and
“democratic leadership” (2005:143). However, distributed leadership focuses not only on
© University of Pretoria
11
shared activity, but also on shared responsibilities among members of an organisation
(Jackson & Mariot, 2012).
In order to develop the conceptual framework, the researcher added to the concepts that
make up distributed leadership the following concepts related to the duties of SMT
members as they appear in PAM (1998), namely, teaching, personnel, general
administration, extra and co-curricular duties and communication.
© University of Pretoria
12
The following diagram depicts shared duties among SMT members as framed by the
distributed leadership theory:
Fig 1: Distributed leadership and SMT duties
Distributed Theory
School Management Team
Teaching
Personnel
Principal Administration
Co-curricular
Communication
Teaching
Personnel
Deputy Principal Administration
Co-curricular
Communication
Teaching
Personnel
Head of Department Administration
Co-curricular
Communication
© University of Pretoria
13
Figure 1 demonstrates the relation between distributed leadership, the members of the
SMT and the duties that are prescribed by the PAM (1998). Distributed leadership theory is
directly linked to the function and nature of SMTs, in that leadership within an SMT is, by
the very nature of the distribution of duties by the PAM (1998), a shared activity in which all
educators and school management team members participate (Grant & Singh, 2009) as
well as being “shared leadership”, “team leadership” and “democratic leadership” (Spillane,
2005:143).
The common factor within the SMT is that all three classes of members (principal, deputy
principal and HoD) have specific and detailed duties to perform for the school, as
prescribed by the PAM (1998). All are obliged to undertake certain teaching duties,
personnel management duties, extra and co-curricular duties, communication duties and
also administration duties as set out in the PAM (1998). However, the difference between
classes of members lies in the percentage allocation of workload that each must carry for
each of these responsibilities as prescribed in the PAM (1998) Chapter A, subsection 4.2,
4.3 and 4.4.
This diagram suggests that there should be interaction between and among the SMT
members within a framework of leadership distributed to different role-players and at
different levels (Grant & Singh, 2009; Spillane, 2005) for the welfare and proper
management of schools.
1.8. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY AND DESIGN
This section‟s focal point is on the research methodology and design that was used in this
study. This section outlines the research approach, paradigm and design used in this
chapter. It further outlines the data collection strategies used, the sampling strategies and
selected participants and also the data analysis strategies used. A detailed outline of these
themes is furnished below.
© University of Pretoria
14
1.8.1. Research orientation
This study was conducted from an interpretivist perspective, which Cohen, Manion and
Morrison (2011:22) described as, “… the central endeavour in the interpretive paradigm is
to understand the subject of human experience”.
The interpretivist paradigm helped the researcher to understand the meaning members of
SMTs have constructed in as far as their duties are concerned. The research is qualitative
in nature because, as Nieuwenhuis (2010:78) states, the paradigm views a phenomenon
(SMT members‟ understanding of their roles as prescribed by PAM, 1998) in its practical
context and situation (secondary schools in the Sepitsi circuit of the Lebowakgomo District
of the Limpopo Province of South Africa). Further, reasons for selecting the qualitative
paradigm for this study was because this type of research is very flexible and open-ended
(Seabi, 2012:89), and because the data gathered through qualitative research is not limited
or guided by only one instrument, but is conducted in-depth (Henning, van Rensburg &
Smit, 2004).
1.8.2. Research sites and participants
This study used both purposive and convenient sampling techniques to select both the
schools and participants. Nieuwenhuis (2010:79) posits that in purposive sampling,
“participants are selected because of some defining characteristics that make them the
holders of the data needed for the study”. In other words, purposive sampling focuses on
participants who share common factors, goals and ambitions. The selection of members of
SMTs can therefore be seen as purposive because their selection will serve the purpose of
investigating the understanding of such members of their duties and within such teams.
SMT members were purposively selected because of their expert knowledge in
management and leadership roles they are involved in on a daily basis.
Briggs, Coleman and Morrison (2012:141) argued that convenience sampling speaks to a
situation wherein the researcher has easy access on the site under investigation. In this
study, the focus is on school management team members of three identified schools in the
Sepitsi circuit as this allowed for easy accessibility for the researcher.
© University of Pretoria
15
In this regard, the study was conducted in the Sepitsi circuit of the Lebowakgomo district of
the Limpopo Province of South Africa, a circuit in close proximity to the researcher and one
that he has access to by virtue of his position as an employee at a school that falls within
this circuit. The selection of secondary schools for the study was also purposive, as the
researcher‟s experience in and access to these schools is better than with primary schools.
Of the nine secondary schools in the circuit, the researcher selected the three nearest in
geographic location (excluding his own school) to his own site for convenience.
All participants in this study were members of school management teams. Interviews were
conducted with the principals and two other members of each of the school‟s SMTs. The
two other members of the SMT were selected on the basis of the longest time spent in the
post of HoD, and the shortest time spent in the post of HoD. It was hoped that the use of
the principals and two other members would furnish this study with a complete and
accurate picture of the perceptions and experiences of these members with regard to their
duties in the SMT.
1.8.3. Data collection
A semi-structured individual interview was employed to gather data from participants.
Macmillan and Schumacher (2014:6) posited that semi-structured interviews provide room
for questions that allow for individual, open-ended responses, while Seabi (2012:89)
describes interviews as the data collection technique of asking participants questions in
order to get their honest opinions and views.
The nature of the topic under investigation suggests that this more flexible qualitative
approach would deliver the richest data, because it does not restrict the participants. It
affords the participants an opportunity to expand on their views, where necessary, unlike
with a structured interview that relies on a fixed set of questions and often comprises
multiple choice answers or closed questions.
1.8.4. Data analysis
Information gathered through the interviews from participants was brought together and
analysed through the content analysis technique. According to Cohen et al. (2011:563),
© University of Pretoria
16
content analysis focuses on summarisation of the collected data with the aim of having it
analysed at a later stage, and also reporting about it. Similarly, Lambert (2013:361)
postulated that data analysis involves „breaking down‟ and „making connection‟ of collected
data.
Content analysis uses data collected or rather a sample of texts gathered during fieldwork
by the researcher. Content analysis helps the researcher, especially during categorisation
of data into themes and sub-themes, and also coding them. Coding enables the researcher
in categorising the themes as observed and as received from data collected. Coding forms
the core of the qualitative approach type of research. Similarly, Cohen et al. (2014:559)
declared that, “coding enables the researcher to identify similar information”. A code in
simple terms is a label given to a theme or subtheme that comprises similar ideas (Cohen
et al., 2014: 559).
Data gathered from participants was firstly transcribed before being categorised into
themes and coded. Cohen et al. (2011:149) described coding as, “codes used to see how
data naturally fall into clusters…” Cohen et al. (2002:164) states that content analysis is a
tool that allows the researcher to make informed inferences on the basis of the content that
is at the researcher‟s disposal.
1.9. ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS
Concerning ethics in research, Maree (2010:41) states that ethical considerations focus on
“…issues of confidentiality of the results and findings of the study and the protection of
participants‟ identities used against their information”. The emphasis here is on the fact that
the participants want to be sure that the information they provided and their identities will be
protected. Permission to undertake this study (Cohen et al., 2011) was sought firstly from
the Limpopo Provincial Department of Education (see Annexure A), while consent was also
obtained from the principals and members of the SMTs selected for participation.
Participants were fully informed of the scope and purpose of the study, they were
guaranteed anonymity and were also advised that they may withdraw from the study at any
time (Cohen et al., 2011). Annexure B provides a copy of the letter of informed consent
signed by the various participants.
© University of Pretoria
17
Ethical clearance was sought from the appropriate body at the University of Pretoria and
was duly granted (Annexure C).
1.10. OUTLINE AND STRUCTURE OF THIS DISSERTATION
The following is the structure which this dissertation followed:
Table: 1 Outline and structure of the dissertation
Chapter Description
Chapter 1 This is an introductory chapter. The chapter elaborates on the
rationale, problem statement, research objectives, research
questions, conceptual framework and research methodology and
design.
Chapter 2 This chapter focuses on the literature study. The chapter further
assesses what other scholars wrote about this study, both
internationally and nationally.
Chapter 3 The chapter presents the designs and methods used in the study, for
example, research design and methodology, data collection and data
analysis strategies used.
Chapter 4 This chapter presents the data collected during this study and the
interpretation thereof.
Chapter 5 This is a concluding chapter. This chapter furnishes findings and also
offers recommendations and suggestions for further study.
1.11. SUMMARY
The chapter provides an introduction and background to the study by briefly discussing the
legislative framework for the composition and the assigning of duties to members of SMTs
in South Africa. The chapter also looks briefly at the some of the research conducted in
South Africa on the duties and roles of SMT members, and concludes that there appears to
© University of Pretoria
18
be a misunderstanding and lack of understanding among SMT members about their duties
as members of the SMT.
This chapter sets out the main research question for this study as “How do members of
School Management Teams (SMTs) in Secondary Schools understand their duties as
prescribed by the Personnel Administration Measures (PAM, 1998)?” and the secondary
research questions as:
a) What do School Management Team members understand their duties in the School
Management Team to be?
b) What do School Management Team members understand the duties of the other
members of the team to be?
c) How does this understanding affect relationships between and among the members
of the School Management Team?
This chapter further outlines the research methodology and design for this study. The
qualitative approach and the interpretivist paradigm were used for this study; semi-
structured interviews were used as the data collection instrument for this study. The
participants were SMT members who were selected purposely, namely; the principals,
deputy principals and the Heads of Departments. Chapter 2 will focus on the review of
literature relevant to the topic of this study.
© University of Pretoria
19
CHAPTER 2
LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1. INTRODUCTION
A thorough review of the relevant literature is one of the most important components of
research. It gives the study direction and focus, and also allows the researcher to become
acquainted with what has already been written in the field of interest. The literature review
helps the researcher to investigate and explore the limitations in literature, and is the
primary means by which the „gap‟ to be filled by new research is identified (Henning, Van
Rensburg & Smit, 2004:27). Athanason, Mpofu, Gitchel, and Elias (2012:50) share a similar
view when they state that the literature review helps the researcher to understand the
researched question and what other researchers have said about the study in question. The
emphasis here is on the fact that the literature review that appears in a study should have a
direct link with what the study seeks to investigate. The main aim is to give the researcher
an idea of what other authors or researchers have written on the problem at hand “It shares
with the reader the results of other studies that are closely related to the one being
undertaken” (Creswell, 2014:27).
This chapter presents the literature review underpinning the phenomenon at the core of this
study, namely SMT members‟ understanding of their duties as set out in the PAM. The
review will therefore include the literature on matters such as distributed leadership and the
duties and roles of SMTs and SMT members. The literature was drawn from international
and national sources. In order to provide a clear picture of the phenomenon, the first
section of this chapter will discuss concepts relevant to this study. Theories of leadership
will then be discussed, followed by a review of the literature on the significance of
teamwork, especially among SMT members.
© University of Pretoria
20
2.2. LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT IN EDUCATION
According to van Deventer and Kruger (2010:65), education management focuses on the
interaction between and among educational leaders who lead and manage teaching and
learning.
This assertion acknowledges that education leaders have to work closely with their
colleagues and other stakeholders in the management of resources such as physical and
human resources that need to be managed effectively. Effective management of these
resources will contribute to the primary aim of all schools, which is providing effective
teaching and learning. As schools are viewed as institutions that have learning as the
primary focus, this can only be achieved once proper education management is in place
(Badenhorst et al 1995:73).
To illustrate the concept of education management further, a distinction between the terms
„leadership‟ and „management‟ will be discussed. These terms will be defined and
discussed to highlight the differences and similarities that exist between the two concepts.
2.2.1. Leadership
Cawood and Gibbon (1985:3) posits that “to lead means basically to be out in front, to go
ahead with the intention of being followed”, an opinion that was supported by Nkabinde
(2012:33). Van Deventer and Kruger (2010:139) view leadership as a situation, where
subordinates have to accept being under the control of a superior. These authors
suggested that in leadership, there should be someone at the forefront who expects to be
followed. Gronn (2002:428) defined leadership as a situation, where a group of people work
together for a common objective, while Jackson and Mariot (2012:233) view leadership as
the relationship between the various role players in a school situation, wherein everyone
has to play their part.
Loock, Camphor, du Preez, Grobler and Shabba (2003:14) posits that leaders who succeed
in leading organisations need to have focus and, direction and must also be good
organisers. These authors raise two important issues about leadership − they view
leadership as something that is interactive and gives direction.
© University of Pretoria
21
The principal, the deputy principal and HoDs, are the ones who lead and manage the
operations in a school. This resonates with the statement by Hoadly, Christie and Ward
(2009:377), who argue that “…leadership stretches over a number of roles, including
followers, and also over situations, which include artefacts and organisational structure
within the school”. From these definitions of leadership, it follows that the principal, the
deputy and the HoDs should be able to work together as a team that has the authority and
is empowered to lead and run the schools.
2.2.2. Management
Similar to the concept of leadership, defining management is complex because there is no
single „correct‟ definition. Different scholars define management differently, but generally
management speaks specifically to and about those people in an organisation who are in
senior positions, but actively involved in “hands-on” tasks. A manager activates an action
from the followers has to see to it that, particular action is carried out correctly. A manager
needs to see things done. A manager needs to see followers doing something about a
given task and has to see to its successful conclusion (Van Deventer & Kruger, 2010:67).
Loock et al. (2003:2) and Bush (2008:3) views management as the ability to influence
others. Buchel (1995:46), on the other hand, describes management as one of the abilities
of the leader of the organisation, and this includes being able to give subordinates regular
feedback. Bush (2008:2) argues that management aims to achieve educational objectives,
while Van Deventer and Kruger (2010:68) posits that management involves things done
with the help of other members of the organisation. Van der Westhuizen (1992:38)
highlighted the importance of control as an aspect of management. Added to this, Clarke
(2007:3) argues that management‟s focus was mainly on getting the systems going and
operating in an organisation.
These assertions suggest that managers do not only lead followers, but also plan, regulate
and monitor the actions of those followers. Managers‟ major role is to activate action from
the subordinates and also to make sure that tasks are completed consistently, timeously
and correctly. This includes setting up and maintaining systems and procedures
(operations) and carrying out the actions and tasks such as planning, organising, delegation
© University of Pretoria
22
and motivating (Piek, 1991:1). Van Deventer and Kruger (2010:75) discussed five key
management tasks and conclude that “… these tasks form part of the interrelated and
interactive management process”. These specific management tasks include planning,
organising, leading, controlling and evaluating (Van Deventer & Kruger, 2010:75). These
functions are carried out well by the principal and the SMT to ensure that the core business
of the school − teaching and learning − can be achieved effectively. Those management
tasks will now be discussed in some detail in the following paragraphs.
2.2.2.1. Planning
Every organisation needs proper planning in order for it to run smoothly. However, planning
cannot be done by the principal in isolation. The principal needs the educators, the HoDs
and the deputy principals. This is based on the fact that as the leader plans, there is a need
to interact and communicate with other senior and staff members, which then brings in
distributed leadership, according to Piek (1991:1), and Van Deventer and Kruger, 2010:75.
2.2.2.2. Organising
The leader has to organise the functioning of an organisation with the help of other
stakeholders in the institution. Organising involves organisation of structures, committees
and departments. As organising continues, communication and coordination takes place,
which involves allocation of roles to different individuals. There will also be a need for other
staff members to be allocated duties. Organising involves teamwork and the improvement
of interpersonal relationships, and this again speaks to distributive leadership (Van
Deventer & Kruger, 2010:75 and Piek, 1991:1).
2.2.2.3 Leading and directing
In order for leading to take place, the leader has to be clear about the aims (goals, vision
and mission) and intended outcomes and then guide the remainder of the top team and the
followers towards the aims and outcomes the school wants to achieve. Followers must be
given support, for example, by motivating and training them. Leading also involves
communicating with staff members, because non-communication may lead to
© University of Pretoria
23
misinterpretation, tasks not being executed or understood, and resistance to execute.
Leading is a managerial function that gives the leader the opportunity to influence
subordinates through effective and efficient communication of the school‟s vision and
mission (Piek, 1991:1; van Deventer & Kruger, 2010:75).
2.2.2.4. Controlling
Leaders must assess whether what is planned and organised is realised. It is at this stage,
where leadership is involved, for example, in the supervision of educators, the motivation of
good performance or calling to order ill-disciplined educators. Controlling in essence is a
monitoring process. During this process, the school‟s leader can utilise the services of
deputies, HoDs and even senior educators to assist with this function (Van Deventer &
Kruger, 2010:75; Piek, 1991:1).
2.2.2.5. Evaluating
Evaluation of what has been done and accomplished is very important. The leader who
manages instructional programmes well has to constantly evaluate and adapt the
programmes accordingly. Evaluation involves taking stock and also applying corrective
measures, where necessary. Evaluation also involves communicating with all involved
stakeholders, whether it be for good or bad (Van Deventer & Kruger, 2010:75; Piek,
1991:1).
In conclusion, management is thus concerned with the correct, timeous and complete
implementation and completion of activities (such as the management functions discussed
above) and the daily operations of a school as guided by the departmental policies, while
leadership is interested in doing the right thing for and with the people, and achieving the
aims of the vision and mission of the school (Piek, 1991:1; Van Deventer & Kruger,
2010:75).
© University of Pretoria
24
2.3. THEORIES OF LEADERSHIP
2.3.1. Instructional leadership
Cawood and Gibbon (1985:7) state that “…instructional leadership can be described as a
process of guiding and encouraging the teacher along a path towards greater professional
effectiveness”. Kruger (2010:247) posits that instructional leadership focuses on
establishing effective teaching and learning in a school situation, while Clickman, cited by
Blasé and Blasé (1991:130) define instructional leadership as“… the integration of the tasks
of direct assistance to teachers, group development, staff development, curriculum
development and action research”. Similarly, Bush (2007:401) posits that instructional
institutional leadership focuses on teaching and learning, with the focus being mainly on the
learning activities in a school situation.
These authors believe that instructional leadership is inclusive and collaborative in nature,
focuses on what is being taught and how it is being taught. Even though the principal is the
leader in the school environment, other team members have to be taken on board.
Teamwork is clearly central to instructional leadership. Instructional leadership targets and
focuses on the central activities of the school, which is teaching and learning (Bush,
2007:401). Instructional leadership focuses on co-operation with and of all the staff
members in a school. SMT members are the ones who are employed by the Department of
Education to ensure that the curriculum is implemented satisfactorily in schools and without
fail. This is thus their instructional leadership role, one that is vital for schools to be able to
achieve positive outcomes.
Bush (2007:401) emphasises the fact that instructional leadership focuses on influencing
and activating action from others in as far as the curriculum, teaching and learning are
concerned. One fault of instructional leadership, according to Bush (2007:401) is that it
does not take other factors into account that are attached to schooling, for example sports
and cultural activities and can therefore be quite “single-minded”.
The following characteristics of instructional leaders demonstrate those tasks that need to
be done by instructional leaders for effective teaching and learning in secondary schools
(Blasé & Blasé, 2000).:
© University of Pretoria
25
a) Instructional leaders focus mainly on curriculum development, staff development and
supervision of subordinates and also focus on the supporting of those subordinates;
b) Instructional leadership focuses on multifaceted tasks that need the cooperation of
other staff members
However, there is therefore a need for teamwork, if an instructional leader is to succeed in
their daily operations in a school with the aim of realising the core business of a school,
which is effective teaching and learning.
2.3.2. Distributed leadership
Naicker and Mestry (2011:99) perceive distributed leadership as working together with
other members to promote teamwork. Distributed leadership is collective and collaborative
in nature, allows managers (principals in the school scenario) to engage other staff
members with expertise in the planning, organising, leading and controlling of and for
effective teaching, learning and leadership (Harris, 2002:10-11). This view suggests that
leadership is not only about an individual, but rather the collective, especially in a school
setting. Distributed leadership forms an integral part of instructional leadership. The two
concepts are interconnected and interrelated, because they both suggest that in order for
effecting teaching and learning to take place, all stakeholders in an institution need to be
involved (Hoadly, Christie, & Ward, 2009:377), because leadership is a comprehensive
activity that involves all role-players in the school situation. Distributed leadership is a
concept that will prove important for this study, as it will make up part of the conceptual
framework used to frame the study.
2.3.2.1 Characteristics of distributed leadership
Distributed leadership is a theory that is often applied, especially in the 21st century; with
Grant et al. (2010:1) noting that after 1994 in South Africa, there has been a move “towards
more participation and collaboration in the practices of school leadership and
management”. This theory is seen as an alternative to the traditional way of leadership,
wherein the school principal leads and manages in isolation (Van der Mesch & Tyala,
2008:223). Distributed leadership views leadership as one that needs to be shared among
staff members in a school (Spillane et al., 2006:15; Grant, 2010:57; Jackson & Mariot,
© University of Pretoria
26
2012:237), which means that leadership should involve every stakeholder in a school
situation, teachers included, because leadership should not be individual-based, but rather
group-based (Grant et al., 2010:401) and should be participative and collaborative in nature
(Naicker & Mestry, 2011:99; Muronga, 2011:20).These characteristics are in direct
opposition to the traditional approach to leadership, wherein the principal was perceived as
the know-it-all individual. Distributed leadership means that principals should include their
subordinates in their leadership functions and roles, in line with their expertise in the school
(Harris, 2004:13).
These authors stressed the notion that leadership is about teamwork. Their emphasis was
that every stakeholder in a school is a team member, and as a result has to participate in
the school‟s activities, together with all other members. In the distributed leadership
perspective, educators should also be given opportunities to lead in specific school
situations (Harries & Lambart, 2013; Grant, 2009; Grant et al., 2010). This suggests that
distributed leadership is highlighting the way in which leaders and followers interact with
one another. In the school environment, the principals would have to share their leadership
and management duties with other members of staff, while other members also are
required to assume responsibility for certain tasks and duties (Jackson & Mariot, 2012:237).
This is precisely the leadership and management thinking behind the duties and roles for
SMT members as stipulated in the PAM (1998).
In summary, the characteristics of distributed leadership most important for this study are
firstly, that leadership should be shared among staff members in a school (Spillane et al.,
2006:15; Grant, 2010:57; Jackson & Mariot, 2012:237; Grant et al., 2010:401). Secondly,
leadership is not individual based, but rather group-based (Grant et al., 2010:401). The third
characteristic of distributed leadership is that it is participative and collaborative in nature
(Grant et al., 2010:401; Naicker & Mestry, 2011:99). Lastly, distributed leadership notes that
teachers should also be given an opportunity to lead in a school situation (Harries &
Lambart, 2013; Grant, 2009:29; Grant et al., 2010:401). These four characteristics
demonstrate the importance of this perspective on leadership in today‟s management of
schools.
© University of Pretoria
27
Similar to instructional leadership, distributed leadership focuses on shared responsibilities
among members of an organisation. Distributed leadership affords every stakeholder the
opportunity to assume a leadership role in the school.
2.3.2.2 Types of distributed leadership
Grant (2009:291-292) distinguished between the following types of distributive leadership:
a) Authorised distributive leadership
In this type of leadership, the head of the institution, in this case the school,
distributes duties to subordinates for execution. This type of leadership is more
acceptable because subordinates feel that they own the result of the delegated task
(Grant, 2009:291).
b) Dispersed distribution leadership
This type of leadership gives subordinates greater autonomy over the tasks given for
execution. This type of leadership operates from the subordinates to the senior-
managers of the school (Grant, 2009:292),
c) Democratic distributive leadership
This type of leadership is more concerned with action. The major focus here is on
the execution of duties at hand (Grant, 2009:292).
2.4. LEADERSHIP, MANAGEMENT AND TEAMWORK − THE CONNECTION
Van der Mescht and Tyala (2008:223) argue that “…teamwork provides teachers with a
significant role in the school decision-making process”. Teamwork is seen as occurring in a
situation where a group of people work together and are committed to their common
objectives or those of the organisation (Radić-Šestić, Radovanovic, Milanốvić-Dobrata,
Slavkovic, & Langović-Milicvić, 2013:1), while Huber (2004:675) states that “the core-
principles of leadership action is democracy and cooperation”. The benefits of teamwork,
these authors believed, are collaboration, co-operation and consultation (van der Mescht &
Tyala, 2008:223). Van der Mescht and Tyala (2008:229) also perceive teamwork as
“sharing the lead”. Similarly, Muronga, (2011:31) maintain that teamwork in a school
© University of Pretoria
28
situation requires that all stakeholders work together for the sake of the institution‟s
progress. In a school environment, the principal, the deputy and the HoDs all have to work
together with the aim of achieving the mission and vision of the school. Research has
proven this approach to be more effective; however, this approach is also legislated in both
the Schools Act (Act 84 of 1996) and the Employment of Educators Act (Act 76 of 1998),
through the PAM (1998).
The quoted authors suggested that for effective leadership in schools to take place, there
needs to be a positive attitude towards teamwork and co-operation among team members.
This, they collectively state, will eventually culminate in effective instruction taking place in
the school. This assertion stresses the importance of distributed leadership in schools,
among all SMT members: The principal, the deputy and the HoDs, together with the rest of
the staff and other stakeholders, need to work together to effectively conduct the core-
business of the school (Huber, 2004:670). Perhaps that is why Van der Mescht and Tyala
(2008:222) argue that “…hierarchical, top-down structures are not appropriate for school
leadership and management”. Huber (2004:675) sums this vision up by saying that good
leadership “… allows for the participation in different fields by as many staff members as
possible”. A similar view is shared by Nkabinde (2012:21), when she states that “…the SMT
collaboratively serves the purpose of managing the delivery of education and performance
of teachers in schools”.
2.5. INTERNATIONAL PERSPECTIVES ON SCHOOL MANAGEMENT TEAMS
The following section focuses on the issue of school management teams. It is divided into
sub-sections for (1) the global perceptions of school management teams and (2) school
management teams in the South African education system.
Studies on the management of schools through using teams, have been conducted
throughout the world. For instance, studies conducted in the United Kingdom by Rhodes
and Beneike (2006:298) has found that management teams create closer working
relationships with their colleagues, so that they can get sufficient support from them.
Rhodes and Beneike (2006:302) further argue that there should be trust and support from
subordinates in and among school management team members. This further strengthens
the view that working in teams in schools is very important. Similarly, Harris (2002:19), in
© University of Pretoria
29
his study conducted in England on effective leadership in schools facing challenging
contexts, has found that “…the decision to work with and through teams…was a common
response to the management of change.” Harris agrees with Rhodes and Beneike (2006)
that teamwork plays a significant role in the proper management of schools.
Similarly, studies conducted in North America in the 1980s found that instructional
leadership focuses on promoting relationships between staff (Bevoise, 1984; Hallinger &
Murphy, 1985). Instructional leadership acknowledges the importance of the principal in a
school situation and also acknowledges that the principal needs assistance from other
stakeholders, for example educators, SMT members, and so on. This is where the issue of
the relationship between staff members becomes very important in an organisation.
Instructional leadership emphasises that in order for an organisation to succeed, it needs
good relationships and cooperation among members of the staff, with staff members at all
levels of the organisation working together – something that can be facilitated efficiently by
the use of SMTs.
Studies conducted in Germany have found that schools as organisations comprise
individuals and/or groups that have an influence on the core business of the school and
need to be taken on board, if the school is to succeed (Rosenbusch, 1997:331). Huber
(2004:675) posits that leadership does not rely on the principal only, but also other
members of the team.
Even though studies have shown that institutions have to utilise the services of all staff
members in order to move forward smoothly, there is still some reluctance by some leaders
to actively and consistently involve all staff members for organisational growth,
development and better learning outcomes (Van der Mescht & Tyala 2008:221; Gronn,
2002:423). This might be the case in many South African public schools, where principals
appear to resist the distribution or sharing of leadership responsibility with the members of
their SMTs. The emphasis here is that principals must be ready and willing to share power
with those they lead, and that unfortunately their refusal to share power may cause
unnecessary tensions. It is also in breach of the Act.
In a study conducted in 2002, focusing on the difficulties faced in establishing effectiveness
in schools, conducted among senior SMT members in British primary schools, Wallace
© University of Pretoria
30
(2002:167) has observed that in the United Kingdom, school leadership is widely distributed
even though in nature it is still hierarchical. This finding suggests that even though most
schools in the UK are still managed in a hierarchical order, there is a move towards shared
or distributed leadership in schools. Distributive leadership is embedded in participative
leadership (Jackson & Mariot, 2012; Grant, 2009; Harries, 2004). This theory is related and
interconnected to instructional leadership. Instructional leadership is rooted in the
combination of task execution by stakeholders in an organisation (Cawood & Gibbon, 1985;
Kruger, 2013; van de Venter & Kruger, 2010). The two terms − distributed leadership and
instructional leadership − thus both focus on teamwork in an organisation.
The preceding section attempts to establish the application and importance of teamwork
such as the School Management Team in effective school leadership and management in
an international context. In order for such teams to operate effectively, all members of the
team need to understand their roles and those of other members on the team. This is where
the distributed leadership theory comes into its own – it will assist the researcher in
investigating whether members of SMTs in secondary schools understand their roles and
those of other members.
2.6. SCHOOL MANAGEMENT TEAMS IN THE SOUTH AFRICAN EDUCATION
SYSTEM
2.6.1. School Management Team composition
As mentioned in Chapter 1, South African schools are managed and led by school
management teams (SMTs). The SMT is made up of the principal, deputy principal(s) and
Heads of Department (PAM, 1998).
The most senior position within a school is held by the principal. Depending on the size of
the school, the principal is supported by the deputy principal(s). The HoDs follow the deputy
principal(s) in terms of the hierarchical order and seniority. This hierarchy is demonstrated
in the following diagram as stipulated in the PAM (1998):
© University of Pretoria
31
Fig 2: Hierarchical order of the SMT members in the South African context
(PAM, 1998)
2.6.2. The roles of SMT members in curriculum implementation
The SMT has to see to it that their schools are run professionally, efficiently and effectively
on a daily basis. These daily operations should be conducted under the leadership of the
school principal (DoE, 2002:24). The above statement suggests that the schools should be
lead and managed by principals together with the SMTs in accordance with the policies,
rules and regulations of the department such as PAM (1998) and SASA (1996). The major
aim of these regulations is the production of quality education and also the realisation of the
schools‟ visions and missions.
SMTs become more effective when the principal and the SMTs work closely together (van
der Merwe, 2002:35). The emphasis here is that a successful SMT must be able to employ
the participative leadership style. Principals should be able to utilise the expertise of other
members of the team.
Principals
Deputy Principal(s)
HoD(s)
CS1 teachers
Non-teaching staff
SMT members
© University of Pretoria
32
SMTs must be able to support staff members in whatever activities they are involved in.
They need to support the staff members in every respect. SMTs must have a thorough
knowledge of the curriculum at hand for a smooth implementation of same.
In South Africa, teamwork is often practised. It is key to the South Africa situation and the
effect of team participation in schools is production of quality education (Muller, Pitsoe &
Van Niekerk, 2013:257). Muller et al. (2013:257) further acknowledges that the success of a
school will be guided by the attitude of the principal of that particular school. There is
however, some resistance among South African principals when they have to share
responsibilities with their subordinates (Gronn, 2002:423).
2.6.3. Research on the use of SMTs in South Africa
Prior to 1994, the education system of South Africa followed the traditional way of
leadership, wherein the principal was perceived as the most senior and superior in the
school situation (Naicker & Mestry, 2011:99). However, after the new dispensation, that is
post-1994, the education system that existed pre-1994 was rejected in favour of the most
collective and participative type of leadership (Naicker & Mestry, 2011:99).
A study conducted by Naicker and Mestry (2011:102) in schools in Soweto found that most
schools still used the traditional leadership practices with a strong hierarchy being present.
Principals were still using the autocratic leadership style as opposed to the distributed
leadership. Similarly, Harries (2002:12) in a student-conducted study regarding distributed
leadership in schools “leading or misleading”, found that „top-down‟ management styles in
schools are a serious impediment to development.
This leads to the concept of distributed leadership, which is gradually becoming popular
among leaders of schools in South Africa (Harries, 2002:11). Naicker and Mestry (2011:99)
and Harries (2002:11) remark that currently in South Africa, leadership in schools is about
working together and promoting teamwork and every staff member, at any level, should be
afforded the opportunity to be a leader. Perhaps that is why in South Africa the so-called
„participative leadership‟ style is becoming more popular in schools, especially secondary
schools.
© University of Pretoria
33
This researcher believes all stakeholders in schools need each other for success and
development of their respective institutions, irrespective of their different roles and
responsibilities as stipulated in PAM (1998).
2.7. SUMMARY
This chapter focused on the literature study. The following themes emerged from the
literature:
Role confusion. It was evident from literature study that there was some confusion among
SMT members, when executing their daily activities because it was not clear as to what
each SMT member‟s duties are in those teams (Mestry & Tyala, 2008; Grant et al., 2010).
This confusion seemed to create tension among SMT members;
Lack of cooperation is another theme that emerged from literature study. In the study
conducted by Mescht and Tyala (2008), they found that there is a lack of trust among SMT
members and as a result this lead to lack of cooperation among members of the team.
Members become disloyal towards each other as a result.
Relational challenges is the other theme that emerged from literature study. This theme
was mainly caused by principals who still viewed themselves as superiors as compared to
other members of the SMT (Harries, 2002:11). Their view is in direct contrast to views
shared by PAM (1998). The Department of Education circular (1996) and Grant et al.
(2010) argued that leadership is not about an individual, but about people working together
as a team.
Workload as a theme also emerged from literature study. Naicker and Mestry (2011:99)
maintained that “principals are encountering heavy workloads”. This was a result of the fact
that principals were not ready “to relinquish power and control to others” (Harries, 2002:12).
Instructional leadership, according to Bush and Clover (2010), Cawood and Gibbon (1985)
and Kruger (2010) focuses mainly on the realisation of effective teaching and learning in
schools. Effective teaching and learning can only be realised through co-operation of other
staff members, especially teachers, in a school situation.
© University of Pretoria
34
Distributed leadership theory is the theory around which this study revolves. Distributed
theory used with the duties of the SMTs are the guiding concepts of the study. Distributed
leadership recognises the leader‟s ability to recognise the leadership potential in
subordinates. The principal in a school situation should be able to involve other
stakeholders in leadership positions, especially teachers, in a school situation for the sake
of the smooth running of their schools (Muronga, 2011; Grant et al., 2010; van der Mescht
& Tyala, 2008).
This chapter also highlighted the issue of international and national perceptions of scholars
and researchers on the duties of SMTs. Internationally and nationally, the scholars
acknowledged the fact that there is some reluctance by school principals to adopt the
distributed leadership approach, when they have to assess their leadership roles in schools.
Most school principals still prefer the hierarchical order, wherein the principal is still
„omnipotent‟. Some principals still fear that some teachers may „take over‟ their leadership
duties, if given too much responsibility (Rhodes & Beneike, 2006; Huber, 2004; Wallace,
2002; van der Mescht & Tyala, 2008).
The next chapter will focus on the research methodology, approach and design. The focus
will also be on data collection strategies, sampling strategies and participants and on data
analysis. Ethical consideration issues will also be addressed.
© University of Pretoria
35
CHAPTER 3
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY AND DESIGN
3.1. INTRODUCTION
This chapter describes the research methodology used in this study, including issues such
as the research approach, research paradigm, research design, data collection, strategies
sampling strategies, data analysis and also ethical considerations. This chapter further
describes and explains the paradigm in which this study is located and the methods used to
gather and analyse data.
3.2. RESEARCH APPROACH, PARADIGM AND DESIGN
3.2.1. Research approach
This research is located within the qualitative approach. Macmillan and Schumacher
(2014:5) describe the qualitative approach as using face-to-face observations in order to
collect data from participants. A similar sentiment is expressed by Henning, Van Rensburg
& Smit (2004:3), who argued that in qualitative research “variables are usually not
controlled”, while Drew, Hardman and Hosp (2008:21) state that “qualitative research does
not tamper with the natural setting, where data is collected”. According to Silverman
(2006:43), data collected through a qualitative approach cannot be manipulated by the
researcher. Therefore, data collected from this approach can be dependable and reliable.
These authors argue that qualitative research allows honest and unchannelled responses
from participants. They further argue that qualitative research aims to capture and tap into
the natural representation of data for its findings. Bouma and Atkinson (1997:206)
expressed the view that qualitative research “produces data such as people‟s own spoken
or written words or observable behaviour”. A similar view is expressed by Nieuwenhuis
(2010:78), who states that “qualitative research is based on the naturalistic approach that
seeks to undent phenomena in context”. Similarly, Drew et al. (2008:21) declared that
qualitative research does not temper with the natural setting where data are collected.
© University of Pretoria
36
From the above, it is clear that the qualitative approach seeks to focus mainly on the
naturalistic location of participants who form part of the study under investigation. A similar
view is shared by Macmillan and Schumacher (2014:31) and Fouché and Schurink
(2011:310), who perceives the qualitative approach as being based on and in the natural
habitat of the participants. In a similar vein, these authors declare that qualitative
approaches are based on the naturalistic habitat of human experience.
The qualitative approach is appropriate to this study because this research was conducted
in three schools in the Sepitsi circuit. Data was collected from SMT members who were in
their natural habitat, their place of work, and had to furnish the researcher with data, which
is located within their natural working environment. Another important feature of the
qualitative research approach is that it does not attempt to manipulate the phenomenon
under investigation (Nieuwenhuis, 2010:79; Gitchel & Mpofu, 2012:59). This approach is
therefore, appropriate for this study because it reflects on the situation of the participants at
the three schools that formed part of this study, and the data collected from these schools is
a true reflection of the situation prevailing at those schools, without any interventions or
manipulation by the researcher.
3.2.2. Research paradigm
This study was located in the interpretivist paradigm. This paradigm seeks to understand
human beings from within and how they interpret the world around them (Cohen, Manion &
Morrison, 2011:18; Nieuwenhuis, 2010:99). The interpretivist paradigm is thus more rooted
in how people interpret their experiences and what meaning they attach to those
experiences, and also reflect on the subject of human experiences (Cohen, Manion, &
Morrison, 2011:17).
This researcher found the interpretivist paradigm to be the most suitable paradigm for this
study as this paradigm is imbedded in the notion that reality is entailed in meanings and
experiences. This study focused on the experiences of SMT members who narrated their
experiences through interviews. Participants in this study furnished the researcher with data
from their experiences in their job situations, and as a result, the interpretivist paradigm was
the best option to assist this researcher when interpreting that particular data.
© University of Pretoria
37
3.2.3. Research design
According to Macmillan and Schumacher (2014:28), a research design is “the process for
conducting the study”. This study used a case study design. A case study allows the use of
a variety of research methods (Muronga, 2011:42) or “…multiple sources of data found in
the setting” (Macmillan & Schumacher, 2014:28). A case study design was the most
suitable research design for this study because it grants the researcher the ability to make
use of any form of data relevant for a study. The major source of data for this study was
interviews, and a case study thus became the logical design for this study due to its
flexibility regarding sources of data.
A case study also focuses on real people in a real situation (Cohen et al., 2011:289) and
“strives towards a comprehensive (holistic) understanding of how participants relate and
interact with each other in a specific situation and how they make meaning of the
phenomenon under study” (Nieuwenhuis, 2010:75). This case study seeks to establish the
influencing factors of a social unit under investigation and also explores the relationship
between that particular social unit and the factors. It uses people (SMT members) as the
social unit and also investigates how these SMTs relate to their environment.
3.3. DATA COLLECTION STRATEGIES
According to Creswell (2014:189), data collection focuses on the collection of information
either through interviews, observation and/or other techniques to collect data from
participants. For this study, the researcher elected to use semi-structured interviews as
data collection method.
3.3.1. Semi-structured interviews
According to Macmillan and Schumacher (2014:6), semi-structured interviews allow for
individual, open-ended responses, and opinion-shared. Seabi (2012:89) described semi-
structured interviews as a technique used by researchers to collect data from participants
using open-ended questions. A semi-structured interview is neither fully fixed nor fully free
and is very flexible (Seabi, 2012:89). Coleman (2012:251) described semi-structured
interviews as those that “take the form of a few major questions, with sub-questions and
© University of Pretoria
38
possible follow-up questions”. These descriptions further support the fact that semi-
structured interviews were the correct choice as data collection instrument, because these
kinds of interviews in their very nature, have the ability to extract information from the
participants with ease (Cohen et al., 2014:411).
An interview protocol was created and the questions therein were used to collect data
during the interviews. The questions created in the interview protocol were framed from the
conceptual framework that underpins this study, concepts such as:
a) Teaching
What are duties of SMT members in relation to teaching?
b) Personnel
What are your duties as SMT members in relation to personnel or staff
management?
c) General administration
What are your duties on the SMT in relation to general administration in the school?
d) Communication
What are your duties on the SMT in relation to communication in the school?
e) Core-curricular
What are your duties on the SMT in relation to the co-curricular activities in the
school?
These questions were created for the interviews to be able to establish whether these
members know and understand their roles in as far as teaching, administration and
personnel management roles and functions are concerned, to name but a few as guided by
the conceptual framework of this study. The questions were open-ended in order to allow
the researcher to ask probing questions, where necessary. The aim of the data collection in
this study was to investigate whether SMT members understood their duties as outlined in
the PAM document. The focus was on the principals, deputy principals and HoDs of the
three selected secondary schools.
© University of Pretoria
39
A copy of the interview protocol can be found as Annexure E at the end of this dissertation.
3.4. SAMPLING STRATEGIES AND PARTICIPANTS
Sampling plays a crucial part in research (Cohen et al., 2011:143). Sampling is a process
whereby a researcher selects a portion of a population for a study, with that portion being a
representative of a bigger population (Macmillan & Schumacher, 2014:6; Nieuwenhuis,
2010:79). Various techniques can be used to select the sample for a study. In this study, a
purposive sampling technique was employed.
3.4.1. Research sites
The research site for a study is the place where the research is conducted. This study was
conducted in the Sepitsi circuit of the Lebowakgomo District of the Limpopo Province of
South Africa. This study was conducted in three secondary schools in that circuit. These
schools were selected out of a total of nine in the circuit. The three schools were selected
purposively (Nieuwenhuis, 2010:79) as well as conveniently (Macmillan & Schumacher,
2014:151). The purposive selection of secondary schools revolves around the fact that in
the circuit in question, only very few primary schools have SMTs made up of more than one
member, while a number of the secondary schools have SMTs suitable for the purposes
and design of this study. The convenient sampling revolves around the fact that the three
secondary schools selected were chosen because of being easily accessible and in close
geographic proximity of the location of the researcher.
3.4.2. Participants
Various techniques can be used to select the sample of participants for a study. In this
study, a purposive sampling technique was employed. According to Cohen et al.
(2011:156), in a purposive sampling, researchers identify participants and pick them
according to the particular characteristics that make them carriers of data needed to answer
the research question that guides the study. This means that in purposive sampling,
participants are selected based on their expert knowledge in the field under investigation
(De Vos, Strydom, & Fouché, 2011:392). In purposive sampling, the researcher selects a
particular group of participants with particular knowledge and skills relevant to the study. In
© University of Pretoria
40
this study, for instance, only school management team members were purposively selected
for the reason that they are most likely to have the information required to answer the
study‟s question on their understanding of their roles as laid out in the PAM (1998).
Of the actual participants, the principals heads of the institutions formed part of this study,
while the other two members of the SMT were selected on the basis of them having (a) the
longest time spent on the SMT, thus most experienced and (b) the shortest time spent on
the SMT, thus the least experienced. The issues of gender, age, and so forth, did not enter
into the criteria for selection of participants, because the study focused on the participants‟
understanding of their role according to the PAM (1998), an issue that is not affected by
gender, race, age, and so forth. The focal part point was their experience and perceptions
in as far as their duties in those teams were concerned.
The following table furnishes how participants were selected:
Table: 2 Selection of participants
School Designation Gender Post level Pseudonym
A
Principal
Head of Department 1
Head of Department 2
Male
Male
Female
4
2
1
PA
SMT1A
SMT2A
B
Principal
Head of Department 1
Head of Department 2
Male
Female
Female
4
2
2
PB
SMT1B
SMT2B
C
Principal
Head of Department 1
Head of Department 2
Male
Female
Female
2
1
1
PC
SMT1C
SMT2C
© University of Pretoria
41
3.5. DATA ANALYSIS
According to Lambert (2013:361), data analysis involves „breaking down‟ and „making
connection‟ of the collected data. The data that this researcher collected was mainly in
audio form. The data was collected using the semi-structured interviews. The researcher
then had to transcribe that data into written words. After having transcribed that data into
words, the researcher then categorised the data into themes that developed from that data.
Data was then coded according to Cohen et al. (2011:559), “as code is simply a name or
label that the researcher gives to a piece of text that contains an idea of a place of
information”. Ferreira, 2012:34 declared that coding assists the researcher in grouping data
collected into themes.
This study required that participants in this study need not have their names identified. The
agreement was reached, when this researcher signed the memorandum of agreement with
the participants, whereby participants signed an informed consent from, prior the actual
interviews. Participants were assured of confidentiality and anonymity even in the letters
they received from this researcher. In this study, pseudonyms were used when coding data,
instead of real names.
Data collected from participants were coded and themes created were guided by the
concepts as entailed in the framework by the concepts of this study, for example; (a)
teaching, (b) general administration, (c) personnel, (d) administration, (e) co-curricular and
(f) communication. Themes created will have to be in line with those concepts as entailed in
the framework of this study. A detailed analysis of those themes will be furnished in Chapter
4.
3.5.1. Content analysis
The coded data was then analysed through the content analysis technique. According to
Cohen et al. (2011:564), “content analysis takes texts and analyses, reduces and
interrogates them into summary form…” These authors further asserted that, content
analysis uses data collected or rather a sample of texts collected during fieldwork and
coded by the researcher. Similarly, Schwandt (2007:4) stated that such analysis meant
© University of Pretoria
42
„comparing contrasting and categorising of data‟, while Hamilton and Corbett-Whittier
(2013:139) maintained that content analysis is a way of trying to make sense of data
gathered.
3.6. CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK
A conceptual framework is a framework of relevant concepts which are put together to help
the researcher illuminate a topic under investigation. In this study, this framework of ten
concepts was used in conjunction with the theory of distributed leadership.
The conceptual framework plays a pivotal role in this study. This researcher used a
framework of concepts that relate to (a) the distributed leadership theory and (b) the duties
of members of the SMT as set out in PAM (1998). This framework of concepts guided the
researcher throughout this study. This study was actually planned and organised around
this framework of concepts (Ferreira, 2012:34). Concepts such as teaching, general
administration, personnel, co-curricular and communication were used in conjunction with
the theory of distributed leadership, which were used to frame questions that resulted in the
interview protocol. The questions created were then used during the interviews in order to
extract information from participants.
3.7. ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS
This section acknowledges that most educational research deals with human beings, and
therefore deems it necessary to take cognisance of the issue of ethical considerations.
Ethics are generally concerned with what is wrong and what is right in the way the
researcher conducts a research (Mouton, 2013:238; Macmillan & Schumacher, 2014:128).
Researchers ensure that participants are free from harm in the research, and this should be
communicated to the participants prior to the research being undertaken. In a similar vein;
Cohen et al. (2011:84) allude to the fact that the researcher “must take into account the
effects of the research on participants…”
© University of Pretoria
43
The researcher assured the participants that the issue of moral consideration was a priority
to him, and that there would not be any negative effect on them that pertained to their
participation in the study.
In this study, this researcher submitted a letter, explaining the details of the research to the
District Senior Manager of the Department of Education and the principals of the sampled
schools, asking for permission to conduct the research, since this study‟s main source of
information was human beings working at designated schools.
The researcher further took cognisance of the following important issues as far as ethics
were concerned; assurance of protection from harm, assurance of the right to privacy and
also assurance of confidentiality.
A memorandum of agreement was signed between this researcher and participants,
whereby participants signed an informed consent form. According to Macmillan and
Schumacher (2014:130), “informed consents allow participants to participate in a study or to
withdraw from a study at any time”.
In this study, the researcher had outlined the details of the research and also informed
participants that they could terminate their participation at any time during the study without
any penalty or negative consequence (Macmillan & Schumacher, 2014:130). A letter of
approval from the University of Pretoria Ethics Committee, allowing the study to be carried
out, was sought and duly granted. A copy of the letter is attached.
This researcher took into consideration the issue of anonymity, voluntary participation and
confidentiality in the study.
3.7.1. Permission granted
The District Senior Manager of the Lebowakgomo District, of the Limpopo Province of
South Africa granted this researcher permission to conduct this study. A copy of the letter
granting permission is attached.
© University of Pretoria
44
3.7.2. Voluntary participation and informed consent
Macmillan and Schumacher (2014:130) declared that “voluntary participation means that
participants cannot be compelled, coerced or required to participate”.
The participants in this study participated voluntarily in this study. They were not coerced
into partaking in the study. They agreed to participate after this researcher explained the
purpose of the study to them. The researcher attended a meeting with the sampled SMT
members prior to the interviews at each school to outline the details and the purpose of the
study. The participants were informed that the purpose of this study was to investigate SMT
members‟ understanding of their duties as stipulated in PAM (1998).
Participants were further assured that the information collected will only be used for the
purpose of this study. The participants were further informed that they were free to withdraw
from the study at any time during the course of the study. All the participants showed
interest and willingness to participate in this study after the clarifications. All participants
agreed to sign the informed consent document, which they eventually signed.
3.7.3. Confidentiality
According to Macmillan and Schumacher (2014:134), “confidential means that no one can
gain access to participants‟ identity and/or data in a study (MacMillan & Schumacher,
2014:134). Similarly; Cohen et al. (2014:92) perceived confidentiality as protecting a
participant‟s identity.
The participants in this study were assured of total confidentiality. They were further
assured that their responses in this study will not be known to anyone else, except the
researcher. Consequently, the collected data was saved and kept by the researcher in his
personal laptop, and also by the University as per the law of the University. The data was
also kept by the researcher‟s supervisor.
© University of Pretoria
45
3.7.4. Anonymity
Anonymity refers to the ability by the researcher to keep the participants‟ identities secret
(Mouton, 2013: 244). Participants have every right to remain anonymous (Mouton,
2013:243). In a similar vein, Cohen et al. (2011:91) asserted that “information provided by
participants should in no way reveal their identity”.
Participants in this study were assured anonymity. They were informed that their real
names would not be used and pseudonyms would be used instead. They were also
assured that the names of their schools would not be published, but that these schools
would only be coded. The names of the schools and of all participants were coded in this
study to make sure that they remain anonymous.
3.8. SUMMARY
In this chapter, this researcher outlined the research methodology used in this study for the
collection of data. The chapter outlined the research approach used, which is the qualitative
approach. This approach was relevant to this study because it uses words and numbers as
is the case with qualitative research. Interaction with the participants is through face-to-face
individual and spoken as well as audio-recorded interviews.
The research paradigm for this was interpretivist paradigm. This paradigm is more rooted in
how people interpret their experiences and what meaning is attached to those experiences.
This study investigated participants‟ understanding of their duties as experienced in their
natural habitats, which is their school in this study.
A research study is a process followed by the researcher, while research design is a
process followed by the researcher when conducting a research or rather a study
(MacMillan & Schumacher, 2014:28). This researcher used a qualitative case study for this
investigation. A qualitative study becomes very relevant for this investigation because of its
focus on real people in a real situation (Cohen et al., 2011:289). The participants in this
study were members of the school management teams in a secondary school situation.
Data collected was through interviews. The interviews were open-ended to allow full
probing and give room for honest and unchannelled responses.
© University of Pretoria
46
This chapter further outlined who the participants for this study were. The participants were
members of the school management teams, namely, the principal, the deputy principal and
the HoDs. The participants were selected from three secondary schools out of the nine in
the circuit. The schools were selected purposively, because of their close proximity to this
researcher. The participants were sampled because of their expert knowledge regarding
leadership and management in schools. The participants were selected according to the
length of their service and experience in the teaching field, especially at management level.
Data collected was analysed through content analysis. Data analysis involves grouping
together and labelling of data as per groupings (Cohen et al., 2011: 559). In this study, the
researcher grouped the particular data analysed through content analysis technique.
© University of Pretoria
47
CHAPTER FOUR
DATA PRESENTATION AND FINDINGS
4.1. INTRODUCTION
This chapter presents data from the semi-structured interviews conducted among selected
School Management Team members, namely, principals, deputy principals and the relevant
HoDs. The interviews serve as the major source of information for this study.
The core of the interviews was based on the following questions:
1. How do SMT members understand their duties as stipulated in PAM?
2. What do SMT members understand their duties in the SMT to be?
3. How do SMT members understand the duties of other members of the SMT members to
be?
4. How does this understanding affect the relation between the members of the SMTs?
4.1.1. Conducting the research
This researcher made individual appointments with the interviewees, allowing them
sufficient time to get ready for the interviews. Three schools were identified to form part of
this study, selecting the principal and two HoDs. This logically translated into interviews of
nine SMT members for this study. Out of the nine, only eight SMT members were actually
interviewed. The ninth interviewee did not avail herself for this interview due to personal
reasons.
This researcher had two meetings with the participants at their respective schools. The first
meeting was a briefing meeting. During this meeting, there was an outline of the study, its
aims and objectives. Participants were also presented with the necessary documents for
the study and the interviews, such as the proposal, the letter of request to conduct the
research, a letter from the Provincial Department of Education granting this researcher a
permission to conduct the study and the letter requesting their participation in the study. All
participants duly accepted, except one SMT member at school C who initially agreed, and
© University of Pretoria
48
signed relevant documents and declined at a later stage because of family problems that
kept her away from the school most of the time.
The researcher spent almost the whole day at each school, because each member would
join this researcher for interviews once they were ready, and also once again when they
were free from their teaching activities. Participants were interviewed during the same date
per school, but during different times. It was only at school A, where the principal became
available for interviews at a later stage due to management commitments.
This study concentrated on three schools in the Sepitsi circuit that fall under the
Lebowakgomo District of the Limpopo Province of South Africa. The schools are located
approximately 90 km outside the nearest city, which is Polokwane. The schools are all
secondary schools, and no primary school formed part of this study. All these schools are
situated in rural areas. There are, however, two schools that are about 1 km away from the
tarred road.
Schools A and C are average-sized schools in that they comprise a principal, a deputy and
HoDs who are permanently employed by the Department of Education. School B, however,
had only one principal, no deputy principal, and the HoDs form part of the SMT as they are
senior teachers at the school. The school is very small.
4.2. DATA PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS
This section focuses on the analysis of data obtained from the field. Thematic analysis led
to themes being established during data analysis as outlined in Chapter three. The themes
were created by this researcher guided by the duties of SMT members as stipulated in the
PAM document and also guided by framework of concepts and research sub-question of
this study. The following are some of the themes identified from data analysis: Teaching;
Administration; Personnel; Knowledge of their duties; Allocation of duties; Relations; and
Understanding of PAM.
© University of Pretoria
49
4.2.1. Duties of the principal
4.2.1.1. Teaching
During data analysis, it was observed that most principals do not see themselves as getting
involved in daily teaching. According to them, daily teaching is something that only the
teachers get involved with. This is in total conflict with PAM (1998), which requires them to
allocate a certain percentage of their time to teaching.
4.2.1.2. Administration
Most participants believe that the principal‟s major role is to see to it that teaching and
learning take place in schools, while some participants perceive the principal‟s role as that
of allocation of duties only.
4.2.1.3. Personnel
The role of the principal is generally accepted to lead and guide subordinates, especially
regarding teaching and learning, according to PAM (1998). The general feeling of most
principals regarding personnel management is only to enhance the culture of learning and
teaching. Their claim is similar to the one the raised under PAM (1998).
4.2.2. Duties of the deputy principal
4.2.2.1. Teaching
The deputy principals in this study view the role of the deputy principal as that of being the
deputy to the principal, and to offer support to the Heads of Departments regarding the
curriculum coverage and implementation.
4.2.2.2. Administration
The deputy principals who participated in this study do not seem to understand the major
differences between the principal and the deputy principal. However, they acknowledge that
© University of Pretoria
50
principal and the deputy principal are not on the same level in terms of their positions in the
school, despite them not having any major difference in their administrative duties. The
inability to differentiate between the duties of the principal and those of the deputy is
probably due to the fact that two schools do not have permanently employed deputy
principals. Only school B has a permanently employed deputy principal. In the other two
schools, HoDs act as deputies.
4.2.2.3. Personnel
Participants state that the deputy principal‟s duty regarding personnel is to guide and
supervise staff members‟ performance in a school “to ensure quality teaching in class”.
4.2.3. The role of the head of department (HoD)
4.2.3.1. Teaching
Most participants in this study perceive the HoD‟s major role being to teach and being an
overseer, while SMT1C and SMT1A agree that the HoD‟s role is one of monitoring and
moderating teachers‟ work rather than actually teaching in class.
4.2.3.2. Administration
The HoDs are of the opinion that HoDs are in charge of the learning aspects in the school.
The HoD makes sure that effective teaching and learning in a school takes place. They
further agree that HoDs see to it that good teaching standards are maintained. The general
feeling among the participating SMT members in this study is that the HoD‟s major function
in a school is that of monitoring and support. They further perceive the HoD‟s role as that of
moderating school tasks prior to actual administration of those tasks in their respective
departments.
© University of Pretoria
51
4.2.3.3. Personnel
Participants view the HoD‟s major role being that of managing teacher‟s activities in school,
especially regarding curriculum delivery. This is in agreement with PAM (1998), which
states that the HoD‟s role is that of overseeing the curriculum implementation in the school.
4.2.3.4. General functions of the SMT
The perceptions held by participating SMT members are divided on what the actual
functions of the SMTs are. Four SMT members believe that the major functions of the SMT
member are getting policies and procedures in place for the effective running of the school.
According to SMT1C, the major role of the SMT is to “draw up school policies for the
smooth running of the school”.
The principal of school C (hereafter, PC) believes that every activity in the school needs to
have “policies in place”, so that all these activities, for example teaching, monitoring,
mentoring, and so forth, can be implemented with ease.
The other four SMT participants believe that the duties and functions of the SMT
encapsulate management and planning. They believe that management and planning are
the core functions of the SMT. According to the principal of school A (hereafter, PA) the
core-functions of the SMT are “to ensure that the school is managed satisfactorily”. SMT1
of school C (hereafter, SMT1C) believes that the role of the SMT, and of the HoD
specifically, is “to help the principal manage the school”.
The principals argue that effective SMTs must be able to administer the written work, check
lesson preparations, class attendance by both teachers and , and also to see to it that there
is comprehensive and accurate curriculum coverage by the teachers.
During the interviews, this researcher observed that, generally, members of the SMT know
what their duties are in the management of the school, as evidenced in this discussion.
© University of Pretoria
52
4.2.3.5. General duties of the SMT regarding teaching
The general feeling among the HoDs and principals (except for one) is that the duties of the
SMT are to see to it that effective teaching and learning takes place. They do not see
themselves as people who should engage in actual teaching, but rather to monitor other
teachers teaching in class. They believe that their role is merely “to ensure that effective
teaching and learning” takes place.
They further believe that it is their other role to “make sure that all the teachers do their
work”. They generally agree that their role is one of being an overseer.
However, one principal (PA) seems to have studied PAM (1998) well because he
acknowledges that as the principal, he also has a role to play in as far as teaching is
concerned. He states that a principal has “to engage in class teaching as per workload of
the relevant post level as stipulated”.
There seems to be some disagreement among respondents as to what the duties of the
principals are in schools beyond the fact that principals are overseers of their subordinates‟
daily activities in the school situation.
4.2.3.6. General administration duties of the SMT
These themes focus on the duties of the SMT members in relation to the general
administration in a school. What role do SMT members play in as far as the general
administration and daily operations of the school are concerned?
Some participants − especially HoDs − believe their roles are to monitor and support
teachers. Other participants believe that their roles include general administration duties
like stock-taking, budgeting, completion of master files, admission of learners, drafting of
school time tables, and so forth.
Beyond such duties, SMT 1 of school A (hereafter, SMT1A) believes that the administrative
role of the SMT in a school is also crafting and implementation of policies, “to help drafting
© University of Pretoria
53
and implementation of policies such as the policies on discipline, on uniform and on
culture”.
SMT1C believes that their role is to take minutes, especially during SGB meetings.
Regarding this issue, the researcher observed that there is no uniform interpretation or
understanding as to what the SMT administrative duties are.
4.2.3.7. General duties of the SMT regarding personnel management
The general feeling of the three principals is that as heads of school, their major role with
regard to personal management is one of enhancing the culture of teaching and learning in
their respective schools. PA states that their role as principals is, “to enhance the culture of
teaching and learning”, and in a similar vein, principal of school B (hereafter, PB) contends
that their role is “to ensure quality teaching in class”.
On the other hand, the other SMT members, specifically HoDs, believe that it should be one
of monitoring and support. They also perceive themselves as overseers. SMT1C argues
that their role is to monitor staff members in the school, with SMT1A arguing that their task
is to moderate and support educators in their respective departments. The other members
of the SMT see their roles as making them responsible for allocating work equitably among
staff members in their respective departments.
4.2.3.8. How do SMT members know their duties?
The assumption made for this theme is that participants would be able to furnish the
researcher with documentation, policies and handbooks that guide them as to what their
daily duties are or should be in their schools, especially as members of the SMT.
Generally, most members of the SMT agree that the guiding document for duties is the
PAM (Personnel Administration Management) document. SMT1A PA and PB point out that
PAM (1998) is the supreme document that outlines their duties.
SMT1A states that their school does not have the PAM document, but they know about it.
This researcher also observed that not every SMT had easy access to the document, and
© University of Pretoria
54
as a result, they seem to experience problems in knowing precisely what is expected of
them as members of the SMT. This view is shared by one HoD of SMT1C who indicates
that they use the “duty list”, which does not seem to be an official DoE document. It is
evident from the interviews that there is a need for official DoE documents to be dispatched
to and readily available at schools.
4.2.3.9. Allocation of duties to the SMT
Most participants seem to be satisfied with the way duties currently are allocated to them,
especially principals, as they feel they are being allocated duties according to their
capabilities and expertise. However, SMT1C, an exception to the rule, states that SMT
members are being overloaded with work allocated to them. However, there seems to be a
general feeling of contentment among SMT members in as far as work allocation of their
duties is concerned.
4.2.3.10. Knowledge of duties by SMT members
The participating principals and HoDs claim that they know exactly what is expected of
them in as far as their daily activities or duties are concerned as SMT members. While most
agree with this statement, one HoD, SMT 2 (hereafter, SMT2B) argues that there are no
clear guidelines as to what they should do as SMT members, that official guiding
documents are not available, giving the principal the opportunity to give instructions to
subordinates as he wishes. According to the HoD, this does not give SMT members,
especially HoDs something to fall back on, especially when there are misunderstandings
among the SMT members.
4.2.3.11. Understanding of the PAM document
Most SMT members do not know much about the PAM (1998) document beyond being
aware of its existence. Only three participants can give some information on what the PAM
(1998) document entails. SMT1A, PC and SMT2C agree that the PAM document “outlines
the roles and responsibilities of the SMT”. Other members of the SMT, in as far as the
knowledge of the PAM document and its content are concerned, believe that it “indicates
© University of Pretoria
55
that the SMT members must help in the planning and organisation of school policies that
will ensure the smooth running of the institution”. SMT1A and SMT1C believe that the PAM
(1998) document says that there should be a relationship between educators and the SMT.
When participants were interviewed on this issue, this researcher could see that they were
puzzled, and a bit lost. This level of confusion can be severely detrimental to the South
African education system, because one cannot expect teachers or SMT members to
understand their roles and duties, if they do not have access to this basic legal document
(PAM) and do not know exactly what it entails.
4.2.3.12. Relations among SMT members
All participants, except for PA and SMT 2 of school A (hereafter, SMT2A) perceive the
relationship among themselves as being cordial. SMT1A refers to the relationships at their
school as being that of “trust”; PB views the relationship at their school as being “healthy”.
SMT2B perceives the relationships at their school as being “good”, while PC views them as
being “sound”. SMT1C and SMT2C declare that the relationships at their schools are
“satisfactorily mutual”.
However, PA does not agree with the other participants concerning relationships as he
feels that “where there is no shepherd, the sheep faint”. He obviously does not hold much
faith in his subordinates or their abilities. He feels that subject heads report academic
matters to the deputy principal and the deputy then reports to the principal, who is the
accounting officer. He believes the total welfare of the entire school rests solely on his
shoulders. This also implies that he has no direct relationships with the remainder of his
staff.
Only one respondent, SMT2A, admits that there is not always mutual respect at their
institution. However, the participant does not regard the situation as being volatile.
4.2.3.13. Factor(s) that have an impact on SMT relations
This section is divided into the following subthemes; Workload conflicts; Size; Time; and
Co-opted HoDs.
© University of Pretoria
56
4.2.3.13.1. Workload
The major complaint being raised by respondents is the workload being put on SMT
members. Participants argue that there was no real difference between the SMTs and
ordinary staff members and that there is a (far too) fine line between the amount of work
allocated to SMT members, and that allocated to ordinary staff members. They claim that
the amount of work allocated to them for teaching is almost equal to the load of their other
management duties. SMT1C believes that the workload allocated to them has the greatest
negative impact on their execution of their daily management duties.
4.2.3.13.2. The size
PB believes that “the size of the institution has the greatest impact on the relationship
between members of the SMT”. The principal is referring to the size of the school he is
leading and managing. This school, as indicated earlier on in this chapter, has only one
principal, no deputy principal, and HoDs who were co-opted into the SMT as they are senior
teachers. It should also be noted that the principal at this school has no office, nor do the
HoDs. All SMT members and staff members share one classroom, which serves as both
the principal‟s office and the staffroom.
As the school is small, all SMT members are being given more work to do, such as also
teaching This issue causes other members of the SMT to have regular conflicts with the
principal, because they are often under severe stress.
4.2.3.13.3. Time
PA highlights that the other issue that impacts negatively on any relationships within a
school is time consciousness among SMT members. According to him, some members
have a serious problem of “non-compliance of sticking to time”. He also complains that
these staff members have a problem of meeting deadlines, especially regarding
submissions to the circuit office. According to this principal, some of these members get
irritated when having to be reminded by him to make submissions on time. This causes
unnecessary conflicts and frictions among the SMT members.
© University of Pretoria
57
4.2.3.13.4. Co-opted HoDs
The HoDs at school B and one HoD at school C so far have not been officially and
permanently employed by the State. They were co-opted into the SMT office on the basis of
being senior teachers. They do not have any (official) authority compared to other officially
and permanently employed HoDs. Some staff members do not take them seriously,
especially when the principals of the schools are absent from school. This could be the
reason why principal PC said, “the HoD will find it a little bit difficult to manage”, especially
during his absence. Co-opted HoDs, according to PC, sometimes find themselves in
confusing role situations because of the Teachers Unions at the school. The union
members would verbally attack them for being the principal‟s „puppets‟ and not being
„comrades‟. They would then feel torn between being „comrades‟ and being „managers‟ at
school. According to PC, this conflict would sometimes create tensions among the SMT
members.
4.2.3.13 Conflicts
SMT1A and SMT2A acknowledge that there are conflicts among SMT members. SMT2A
believes that where there is a positive relationship, there also has to be some conflict, their
school included. According to SMT1A, challenges among SMT members are mainly caused
by “financial matters” and that some members of the SMT believe that “the SGB was given
excessive powers regarding the financial matters of the school”. SMT1A further argues that
SGB members‟ excessive powers over the finances of schools causes the schools to
allocate funds under budget regarding the curriculum matters. According to him, “curriculum
matters are no longer given the necessary budget” as a result.
4.2.3.14. Challenges experienced
The focal point of this section is the challenges the SMT members experience regarding the
allocation and performance of their duties in their teams.
© University of Pretoria
58
4.2.3.14.1. Understaffing
PB believes that the challenge caused by understaffing impact negatively on the allocation
and performance of roles, tasks and duties on the SMTs. Similarly, SMT2C perceives the
“shortage of teachers” as the major challenge when faced with the execution and
performance of their tasks. SMT2C further maintains that teacher shortages was
sometimes caused by the process called the Rationalisation and Redeployment (hereafter,
R & R) of teachers from one school to another. This SMT members views this process as
the main cause of instability in schools.
4.2.3.14.2. Misplaced HoDs
PC claims that the other serious challenge among SMT members is HoDs heading the
wrong departments. In essence, because of understaffing, HoDs would be forced to head
any department, irrespective of their particular skill. For example, a HoD who majored in
languages would be heading the science stream or the commercial stream or both.
According to PC, this ultimately affects the general performance of the school. PC also
acknowledges that most HoDs lack the relevant information and knowledge due to the fact
that they did not “further their studies on management” and PC believes that “this is the
biggest problem”.
4.2.3.14.3. Content of work
SMT2A believes that disagreement between the DoE and the teachers was a major
challenge for them in as far as the content taught in schools. According to this participant,
teachers are reluctant to teach the content the DoE requires them to offer because they feel
it is not up to standard and is very inferior. This participant further believes that the local
DoE is dysfunctional, and this does not improve the relations with teachers.
4.2.3.14.4. Submissions
SMT1A claims that “some educators do not honour the submission dates, making it a
challenge to the SMT”. It should be noted that the Department of Education requires
schools to make regular submissions, and if some teachers do not submit on time, this will
© University of Pretoria
59
create problems for the SMT as it would mean they would be failing as managers of
schools. This issue or challenge was also addressed under the theme „time
consciousnesses.
4.2.3.15. How to overcome challenges experienced as viewed by participants
This section will also be subdivided into subsections (subthemes) for clearer understanding.
It should be noted that this section focuses on mechanisms, which participants propose to
overcome the challenges they experience.
4.2.3.15.1. Workload
Workload has been a challenge that most SMT members experience at their schools and
one that is a serious challenge to them. As a result, some participants propose mechanisms
to overcome this challenge. PA suggests to decrease the workload for SMT members by
“augmenting the workforce” and also incentivising them where the workload cannot be
reduced.
4.2.3.15.2. Lack of information
PC perceives lack of information as the major deterrent in as far as the effective and
efficient management of schools is concerned. This is also tied to perceived lack of
academic knowledge with regard to managerial duties. PC suggests that a course on
management offered specifically to SMT members would help a great deal. The participant
further suggests that SMT members must be encouraged to attend management meetings
organised by the DoE to gain exposure and experience.
4.2.3.15.3. Understaffing
PB perceives understaffing as the major challenge at schools, and also suggests that
employment of more staff members, especially those in management positions, could bring
a relief to schools, reducing workloads and resulting inefficiencies.
© University of Pretoria
60
4.2.3.15.4. Leadership
According to Tondeur (2008:9), “leaders give examples and stimulate members of their
organisations”. This assertion purports that leaders have to work closely with subordinates
if they hope to succeed as leaders and managers of schools.
During the interviews, it was evident that there are still some leaders, principals specifically,
who are reluctant to involve other subordinates, especially in the SMT when leading and
managing their schools. As a means of trying to address this challenge, SMT1A suggests
that leaders need to lead by example and must be able to create a climate conducive for
working” so that the staff in turn can be able to “give inputs” and take ownership of
decisions and resolution taken in SMTs. PB suggests more teamwork among SMT
members, and SMT2B suggests better communication among SMT members.
4.3. RESEARCH FINDINGS
A number of themes emerged from the data presented in the previous chapter. The sub-
questions were guided by the main research question, which is; Do members of the school
management team understand their duties according to PAM? These themes are detailed
as follows:
4.3.1. Teamwork
Participants indicate that most principals still have a problem with teamwork. The response
from most participants is in conflict with the distributed theory, which this study is modelled
around. The participants‟ perceptions are also in conflict with what other authors suggest
(Rhodes & Beneike, 2008; Harris, 2002; Huber, 2004). They described teamwork as
working together for better results. This lack of teamwork leads to the next research
question, whether SMT members actually know what their duties are or should be.
Gronn (2002:423) proposed the hypothesis that some principals still do not believe in
working closely together with their subordinates because there is no resistance from their
subordinates to their approach, something that seems to be more apparent in the South
African situation.
© University of Pretoria
61
The inability by some principals to work in teams is further supported by van Mescht and
Tyala (2008) and Harries (2008), who argued that some principals still have a problem with
their actual teams. Some principals are also obviously loathe to let go of their singular and
ultimate power. One participant indicated that the principal was the one who allocated them
duties “willy nilly”, and that did not go down well with her. She further indicated that the
principal would give them other duties that were not part of tasks allocated to them, and
expected them to act promptly on them. She said, “I don‟t like the way the principal will
come to me and say I want that thing now”. There is no teamwork involved.
4.3.2. SMT members‟ understanding of the duties of other team members
All three principals claim to know the PAM (1998) document that carries the roles and
responsibilities of SMT members. Two HoDs also know of the PAM (1998) document and
its contents. One HoD reports only to have heard of it.
The inaccessibility of the PAM (1998) document to all SMT members in the three selected
schools makes it difficult for SMT members to know, understand and accept their roles.
This leads to the main research question, which seeks to investigate the SMT members‟
understanding of their duties as stipulated in PAM (1998), which is meant to promote
instructional leadership among SMT members.
Instructional leadership is perceived as that which promotes good relationship among SMT
members (Bevoise, 1984; Hallinger & Murphy, 1985). Instructional leadership complements
distributed leadership in that it promotes shared leadership, which according to Jackson
and Marriot (2012), Grant (2009) and Harries (2004), promotes participative leadership. In
the South African context, researchers such as Naicker and Mestry (2011) and Harries
(2002) declared that distributed leadership promotes shared and participative leadership.
The two concepts are reflected in this study as it uses these concepts and the distributed
theory to answer the main research question, which aims to establish the SMT members‟
understanding of duties as outlined in the PAM (1998) document.
4.3.3. Workload distribution
© University of Pretoria
62
Participants report their dissatisfaction with the way principals −as members of the SMT −
distribute most of the duties and hold onto powers that suit them. Mescht and Tyala (2008)
also observed that some principals abused their positions to the detriment of other
members of the SMT. The primary question which the study tries to establish is whether
members of the SMT fully know and understand their roles and duties as prescribed in the
PAM (1998). The PAM (1998) document details the duties of each member of the SMT and
this, in essence, implies that members of the SMT should not have a problem regarding the
distribution of duties among SMT members. However, probably because of such document
not being available to SMT members and thus no knowledge available of their rights and
duties, there exists unequal distribution of duties by the principals.
4.3.4. HoDs with expertise
One of the recommendations made in Chapter 5 is that the DoE should employ HoDs with
relevant expertise. This point was raised as most HoDs positions could not be filled due to
the deputy principal‟s inability to employ them permanently and too few positions being
filled, resulting in a lack of appropriate skills and qualifications being utilised.
Hoadly, Christies and Word‟s declared that HoDs are the ones who are supposed to lead
and manage the operations in the school, specifically the curriculum. However, most
participants, especially HoDs, indicate that they are unable to be effective in their daily
duties because subordinates to not take them seriously because of their temporary
employment in those posts, and this makes them less effective even in cases where they
may know what the PAM (1998) requires them to do.
Van de Venter and Kruger (2010:68) and Van der Westhuizen (1992:38) state that
management involves doing things with the help and support of other members of the
organisation. This is line with the distributed theory that underpins this study. This theory
views leadership as being shared with staff members (Spillane et al., 2006:15; Grant,
2010:57; Jackson & Marriot, 2012:23).
Grant et al. (2010:401), Naicker and Mestry (2011:99) stated that distributed theory requires
HoDs to work hand-in-hand with subordinates. However, as most HoDs in this study report
that they were not taken seriously by their colleagues as they are in „acting‟ or temporary
© University of Pretoria
63
positions, their relationship with the SMT members becomes negatively affected. This leads
to the secondary question, which investigates the relationship between and among the
members of the school management team.
4.3.5. PAM document
During the interviews, this researcher also observed that most SMT members do not have
any practical experience with the documents that are needed to run an institution like a
school, especially the PAM document that outlines their duties as managers. Some of the
participants indicate that they do not have the document at their school, they have only
heard about it and would appreciate having a copy at their school:
According to this researcher‟s knowledge and the prescripts of the DoE, it is compulsory for
every school to have the PAM (1998) document as contained in the Employment of
Educators Act no. 76 of 1988. This is a legal requirement as the document guides
management and SMT members how to share the responsibilities at school. The availability
of this document should also provide some clarity and subsequently decrease the levels of
tensions among SMT members, because everyone will know exactly what is expected of
them in those teams. The workload could also eventually be distributed more evenly among
members.
4.3.6. Managerial expertise
The majority of participants in this study demonstrate a lack of knowledge and information
in relation to managerial duties. That also implies that they do not know the exact roles
each team member is supposed to take on, nor do all of them have the requisite
management skills. This is probably a result of the fact that most of them were co-opted into
the SMTs. They relied mainly on their principals who would tell them how to function as an
SMT member. It is mainly the HoDs who are affected by this situation.
© University of Pretoria
64
4.3.7. SMT members‟ understanding of their duties
Most HoDs seem to interpret their role as that of monitoring and moderation of teachers‟
school work. Some SMT members also teach and execute administration duties, as
stipulated in PAM (1998).
4.3.8. SMT members‟ understanding of the duties of other team members
This question aimed to establish what informs SMT members of the roles each one of them
is supposed to play in their teams. All three principals indicate that the PAM document is
the most important document in school management. Three HoDs also know about the
PAM document, even though one HoD never read a copy. The other two HoDs do not
seem to know what role to play in the SMT, obviously not having internalised the content of
the PAM document. This sentiment is expressed by SMT2B, who states that “only the
principal tells me what I have to do”.
4.4. SUMMARY
In this chapter, the researcher presented the data obtained from participants of the three
secondary schools in the Sepitsi Circuit. These data was mainly collected through
interviews with participants. While interviews were the major tool for gathering the data, the
researcher supported the evidence with observation and field notes taken during the
interviews. This chapter presented the findings from both the literature and the interviews.
The collected data was arranged into themes. Those major themes were developed from
the transcribed data. The themes related to the concepts that formed the conceptual
framework of this study. As a result, the following themes from the conceptual framework
were developed: Teaching; Administrative: Personnel. These themes were developed and
analysed in relation to the school management team members‟ duties in those teams.
Sub-themes were developed by this researcher while studying the data collected. The
following were the sub-themes that were discussed in detail in this chapter: General
functions of the SMT; General duties of the SMT regarding teaching; General administration
© University of Pretoria
65
duties of the SMT; General duties of the SMT regarding personnel management; Allocation
of duties to the SMTs.
This chapter further elaborated on the sub-themes that were related to the research
questions that guide this study. The developed sub-themes are as follows: How do SMT
members know their duties; Knowledge of duties by SMT members; Relationships among
SMT members; Understanding of PAM; Factors that have an impact on SMT relations;
Challenges experienced and how to overcome those challenges.
This chapter further elaborated on the research findings of the study. During the literature
study, it was indicated that most members of the school management did not know what
their specific duties in those teams were. During the interviews, this researcher observed
the confusion among members of the school management team in as far as their roles and
their specific duties were concerned. Some principals felt that the HoDs wanted to take over
the principal‟s role, while on the other hand, some HoDs felt that the principals were not
willing to get input from SMT members and they remained very autocratic.
The next chapter will deal with a brief discussion of the findings, recommendations, the
significance of the study, suggestion for further study, and the study‟s limitations.
© University of Pretoria
66
CHAPTER FIVE
RECOMMENDATIONS AND CONCLUSION
5.1. INTRODUCTION
This study investigated the duties of the School Management Team (SMT‟s) members in
the Sepitsi circuit of the Lebowakgomo district of the Limpopo Province of South Africa. The
major aim of this study was to investigate whether the members of the SMT understand
their duties as outlined in the Personnel Administration Measures document and also
whether they understand the roles of other members in the same SMT.
5.2. SUMMARY OF FINDINGS
This section focuses on the summary of findings with regard to the literature review and
data collected from the field.
This section will be divided into the following sub-themes. The sub-themes were developed
during data analysis of this study. This researcher regards these sub-themes as very
important for this study.
The major findings will be outlined under the following themes; Teaching duties;
Administrative duties; and Personnel duties. These duties will be discussed in relation to
the roles played by members of the SMT in a school situation.
The above themes were informed by the concept of distributed leadership and duties of
SMT members as stipulated in PAM (1998).
© University of Pretoria
67
5.2.1. Duties of SMT with regard to:
5.2.1.1. Teaching (principals)
Kruger (2010:247) maintained that the principal has to create an environment for “effective
teaching and learning” in a school. A similar sentiment was shared by Bush and Glover
(2010:10), who declared that the principals have to create a conducive environment for
teaching and learning in schools.
PAM (1998), however, goes beyond the creation of a conducive environment and requires
the principals to allocate a certain percentage of their time to teaching in a classroom.
However, the participants in this study did not see teaching as one of the principals‟ role,
obviously not aware of the requirements listed in PAM. Their sentiments are aligned with
those stated by scholars.
5.2.1.2. Administration (Principal)
The responses regarding the administrative tasks are quite diverse among participants.
Some members of the SMT argue that the role of SMTs lies merely in the allocation of
duties, while other participants view the principal‟s role as being that of the overseer.
Similarly, PAM perceives the role of the principal in an administrative light and seeing to it
that effective teaching takes place in schools. The size of the school and the available
personnel to handle all tasks also obviously influence the distribution of roles.
5.2.1.3. Personnel (Principal)
Most participants agree that the principal is the final accounting officer in a school. They
also feel that principals have the ultimate power and control over subordinates. PAM, on the
other hand, perceives the principal‟s role as being more of a guide for subordinates. They
should interact and work closely with subordinates, according to PAM. Some principals still
see the teachers‟ role as being in the classroom and having nothing to do with management
(Grant et al., 2010:401).
© University of Pretoria
68
5.2.1.4. Teaching (Deputy Principals)
During this study, most participants seemed to have a problem when defining the
differences between the role of the principal and that of the deputy principal. However,
some participants maintained that the role of deputy principal is that of being a “stand-in” for
the principal, especially in his absence. Most participants view the role of the deputy
principal as leaning too much to execution of administrative duties.
5.2.1.5. Administrative (Deputy Principal)
PAM (1998) views the deputy principal‟s role as that of being the second in command to the
principal. Respondents showed some confusion regarding how the role of the principal and
that of the deputy principal differed when discussing administration. This confusion could
probably be caused by the fact that there was a lot of multitasking among the SMT
members, especially those in school A and school C. The other reason could be that the
permanently employed deputy principal at school B was not available for the interview; he
had to be replaced by the HoD, who probably did not have sufficient knowledge as to what
the administrative duties of the deputy principal were or should be.
5.2.1.6. Personnel (Deputy Principal)
When discussing how the deputy principal interacts with subordinates, respondents seem
to agree with the sentiments stated in the PAM document. Buchel (1995:89) argued that the
deputy principal “liaises between the staff and the principal”. This assertion is in agreement
with the PAM document, which advices that the deputy principal has to act in the absence
of the principal.
5.2.1.7. Teaching (HoDs)
Similar to the view of the roles of principals and deputy principals, the HoDs are perceived
as overseers of other educators‟ activities in a school situation. PAM (1998), on the other
hand, stipulates that the HoDs must also teach, as outlined under distribution of duties in
the PAM document.
© University of Pretoria
69
5.2.1.8. Administration (HoD)
HoDs are responsible for management of their respective departments (Buchel, 1995:64).
Similarly, Nkabinde (2012:10) further regarded the HoD as someone who manages
teaching and learning activities in the school. According to this researcher‟s opinion, HoDs
are the core of the teaching and learning activities in a school situation because they are in
charge of the curriculum. A similar view is held by SMT1C, who postulates that “the HoDs
role is to help the principal manage the school”. Generally, most participants in this study
seem to agree that the role of the HoD is “to manage and support educators”. However,
one participant (SMT1C) argues that the HoDs role is also “to take minutes” during SGB
meetings. Perhaps this SMT member had to take SGB minutes because of the small size of
the school.
5.2.1.9. Personnel (HoDs
There are distinct similarities between the personnel functions and the administrative
functions of the HoDs. According to PAM, the HoDs have to be experts in the respective
departments and their respective subjects. They have to be able to manage their respective
departments effectively. Managements of subjects automatically entails management of
subordinates (personnel).
A similar view is shared by most participants in this study. The principal of school B
believes that HoDs “ensure quality teaching in class”, and further posits that the HoDs
major role in a school is to “monitor and support” the teachers.
5.3. SUMMARY OF SECONDARY FINDINGS
5.3.1. Role confusion
It was clear from the literature study that there was some role confusion among SMT
members in the execution of their daily activities. This role confusion probably emanates
from the fact that SMT members are not clear of what their duties are in the SMT, and they
are probably not clear either of what the roles of other members of the SMT are supposed
to be (Mescht & Tyala, 2008; Grant et al., 2010).
© University of Pretoria
70
This problem is also evident during the interviews, when most HoDs are stating that they
are not happy with how the principals work with them. SMT2B indicates that “our manager
will command you to do something that he did not allocate during allocation”.
During the interviews, the researcher observed that most HoDs did not see actual teaching
as being part of their roles; instead they felt their role should have been one of policy
crafting and monitoring of teachers‟ work. According to PAM, teaching should be part of
their task, but this may not be their sole responsibility.
5.3.2. Relationship challenges
It was evident from the interviews that there exists an on-going challenge regarding the
relationships among SMT members in the schools that participated in this study. SMT2A
postulates that there is a challenge in as far as their relationship with the principal and
among themselves as members of the SMT is concerned. Some principals declare that
“there is no mutual respect, shared concept, team relation and spirit of collegiality”. The
other problem is that some principals still regard themselves as being omnipotent. There
seems to be a major gap between the principal and the remaining staff, with a loss of trust,
a lack of input or consultation, or lack of fair allocations of tasks occurring.
A serious relationship challenge is evident in school B. The HoD was close to tears when
asked how she knew what her specific duties were in the SMT. The researcher observed
that the attitudes of the principal of school B and the principal of school C are similar. They
are in direct conflict with the views shared by PAM (1998) and the Department of Education
(1996), which require schools to decentralise leadership in schools. This view was also
shared by Grant et al. (2010) when they stated that “the main idea underpinning this view is
that leadership is not individual or positional, but instead is a group process in which a
range of people can participate”.
© University of Pretoria
71
5.3.3. Workload distribution
It was evident from the data presented that there were some signs of equitable allocation of
duties to members of the SMT. It was only in very small schools, like School B, that SMT
members tend to become overloaded because of fewer teachers.
5.3.4. Lack of cooperation
In a study conducted by Mescht and Tyala (2008), they found out that there was a lack of
trust among SMT members. This led to disloyalty towards each other. These authors
believed that this challenge was caused by lack of clarity of the duties of each members of
SMT. Similarly, during the interviews; it was evident from the principals of school C and
school B that they experienced some major challenges regarding cooperation among SMT
members in particular and teachers in general. Only PA seemed very pleased with the way
SMT members and teachers work together.
5.4. THE NEED FOR DISTRIBUTED LEADERSHIP
The findings of this study indicate that it is necessary for South African schools to opt for
distributed leadership in order to succeed as institutions of learning. The study established
that even though there was a move towards distributed leadership in some schools (Grant
et al., 2010), not enough was being done to ensure that there was buy-in from the principals
towards adopting a positive attitude of shared roles in schools. It was also evident from the
interviews that the majority of HoDs would like to be involved in the decision-making
processes at schools, but some were denied that opportunity by the principals who wanted
to retain their own power.
5.5. SIGNIFICANCE OF THIS STUDY
This study is valuable to the researcher in a personal capacity and also for his professional
development. This study also has a significant value to policy-makers and implementers in
the province at all levels to improve the standard of education. This study elicited some
challenges and strengths that will help the Department of Education to improve the way in
© University of Pretoria
72
which they manage education in the province. This study also outlined the significance of
distributed leadership in South African schools.
The findings of this study should assist policy-makers in the DoE to find ways of educating
SMT members about distributed leadership and the significance thereof in their
management of schools. The study highlights the importance of the PAM document being
distributed to all schools, being accessible to all SMT members and such members
becoming trained in the application and implementation of the rules therein. This should
significantly assist SMTs in gaining the required knowledge about exactly what their duties
are in the SMTs.
The findings of this study will also help tertiary institutions to include, in their training of
educators, the contemporary theories like distributed leadership in the curriculum. This will
equip prospective teachers and principals with the relevant and needed skills.
Furthermore, the findings of this study will contribute to the current research literature in
education management in general and also concerning current leadership theories such as;
participative leadership, distributed leadership and teacher leadership.
5.6. RECOMMENDATIONS
As a result of the findings that were outlined, the following recommendations are made,
which are listed below:
5.6.1. Workshops
The Department of Education in the Limpopo Province should hold regular workshops and
seminars for all SMT members in schools, especially secondary schools because of the
expected outcomes of Grade 12s at the end of the year. These meetings should be
conducted at least once a quarter. The workshops should focus on the challenges these
members experience in the execution of their duties and how to overcome those
challenges.
© University of Pretoria
73
5.6.2. In-service training
It should be compulsory for SMT members to be entered into in-service training
programmes by the Department of Education and also at the expense of the Department of
Education. There should be some form of monetary incentives on successful completion of
those courses. This will guarantee that teachers looking for promotion to HoD, or SMT
members, will be up-to-date on the latest management skills and theories; that they will
understand the implications of the PAM rules and regulations and will be able to apply them
in their schools. On-going in-service training should lead to better skilled, up-to-date
teachers and thus better education in South Africa.
5.6.3. Programme on distributed leadership
There should be a special programme for principals that outlines the significance of
distributed leadership in schools. This should reduce or eliminate fears among principals as
to why teachers should be actively involved in decision-making processes in the schools.
5.6.4. HoD with expertise
The Department of Education should employ HoDs according to their expertise and place
them in the relevant positions in schools. Mismatched placements will result in frustrated
HoDs and a loss of their skills, resulting in poorer teaching at these schools.
5.6.5. Programme on duties of SMTs
There should be a special training programme/seminar for SMT members that outlines their
duties to avoid unnecessary misunderstandings and role confusion among members of the
SMT. This programme can be developed by the Department of Education and held at the
relevant tertiary institutions or alternative suitable locations.
5.7. RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FUTURE RESEARCH
The findings of this study show that there is lack of clarity on the intended duties among
SMT members, as outlined in Chapter four. This study also shows that some SMT
© University of Pretoria
74
members do not experience participative management and leadership in schools,
especially in the schools of the Sepitsi Circuit of the Limpopo Province of South Africa. The
following recommendations for future research are therefore made:
A study similar to the present one should be conducted, but on a larger scale. Researchers
should conduct a similar research in other circuits in the Limpopo Province as well as in
other provinces to investigate the role and duties of SMT members and the respective
principals and teachers and their impact on the academic performance of the learners in the
province as compared to other provinces in South Africa.
The study on the duties of SMT members should also be conducted among other members
of staff, such as the CS1 teachers. This will help them when they join the SMT to know
exactly what is expected of them.
The Department of Education should appoint members of the school management team
permanently in their respective positions, for example, principals, deputy principals and
heads of department.
There should be a study conducted that investigates the impact of the workload of SMT
members and their performance on their daily activities as stipulated in PAM.
The Department of Education must surely have an influence on the subjects offered by
tertiary institutions that produce prospective teachers. The teachers who are produced by
these tertiary institutions should be able to produce quality results in schools. The
Department of Education should influence the crafting of the curriculum for these
prospective teachers in those tertiary institutions.
Future researchers should investigate the understanding of the duties among curriculum
advisors of the Sepitsi circuit. A thorough investigation will help in developing the schools
and the circuits.
© University of Pretoria
75
5.8. THE LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY
There were a few limitations that need to be considered.
Some SMT members were not really enthusiastic to participate in this study. Some SMT
members suspected that the researcher could be a DoE representative, and it was a
challenge to get them to trust and open up during the interviews.
While conducting the interviews, the researcher realised that the validity of this study could
have been strengthened by involving more schools, if not all the schools in the circuit. Even
though the interviews went smoothly, and even though identified participants were
interviewed, there was however, one member of the SMT at School B who did not
participate in the interviews due to personal reasons. Her participation in this study could
have helped in strengthening the validity of this study.
Two schools did not have permanently employed deputy principals. This limited the study
regarding how they perceive their duties and those of other members in the SMT. It was
only school B that had a permanently employed deputy principal.
The actual time spent with the interviewees was not enough, because most wanted to be
interviewed during breaks and during sport times, which was on Wednesdays. More time
spent with each person could probably also resulted in more information.
5.9. SUMMARY
This is a more comprehensive summary because it outlines what each chapter entails.
Each chapter will be briefly summarised in this summary.
Chapter one provides an introduction to and background for the study reported on here by
briefly discussing the legislative framework for the composition of and the assigning of
duties to members of SMTs in South Africa. This chapter also looks briefly at some of the
research conducted in South Africa on the duties and roles of SMT members, and
concludes that there appears to be a misunderstanding among SMT members about their
duties as members of the SMT.
© University of Pretoria
76
This chapter sets out the main research question for this study as “How do members of
School Management Teams (SMTs) in secondary schools understand their duties as
prescribed by the Personnel Administration Measures (PAM, 1998)?” and the secondary
research questions as:
a) What do School Management Team members understand their duties in the School
Management Team to be?
b) What do members of School Management Team understand the duties of the other
members of the team to be?
c) How does this understanding affect relationships between and among the members of
the School Management Team?
This chapter further outlined the research methodology and design for this study. A
qualitative approach was used for this study, and the interpretivist paradigm was selected
for this study. Semi-structured interviews were used as the data collection instrument for
this study. The participants were SMT members who were selected purposely, namely; the
principals, the deputy principals and the Heads of Departments.
Chapter two focused on the literature study. The following themes emerged from the
literature:
a) Role confusion. It was evident from literature study that there was some confusion
among SMT members when executing their daily activities, because it was not clear as
to what the duties of each member of the SMT‟s duties are in those teams (Mestry &
Tyala, 2008; Grant et al., 2010). This confusion and no clear boundaries or clear
allocations created tension among SMT members.
b) Lack of cooperation is another theme that emerged from literature study. The study
conducted by Mescht and Tyala (2008), established that there is a lack of trust among
SMT members and as a result this leads to lack of cooperation among members of the
team. Members become disloyal towards each other as a result.
c) Relational challenges is the other theme that emerged from literature study. This theme
was mainly caused by principals who still viewed themselves as superiors as compared
to other members of the SMT (Harries, 2002:11). Their view is in direct conflict with
rules stated by PAM (1998). The Department of Education Circular (1996) and Grant et
© University of Pretoria
77
al. (2010) argued that leadership is not about an individual, but about people working
together as a team.
d) Workload as a theme also emerged from literature study. Naicker and Mestry (2011:99)
maintained that “principals are encountering heavy workloads”. This was a result of the
fact that principals are not ready “to relinquish power and control to others” (Harries,
2002:12).
This chapter also highlighted the issue of international and national perceptions of scholars
and researchers on the duties of SMTs. Internationally and nationally, the scholars
acknowledged the fact that there is some reluctance for school principals to adopt the
distributed leadership approach when considering their leadership roles in schools. Most
school principals still prefer the hierarchical order wherein the principal is still „omnipotent‟.
Some principals still fear that some teachers may „take over‟ their leadership duties if given
too many responsibilities (Rhodes & Beneike, 2006; Huber, 2004; Wallace, 2002; van der
Mescht & Tyala, 2008).
Chapter three outlined the research methodology used in this study. This chapter further
outlined the research approach used, which is the qualitative approach. This approach was
very relevant to this study because it is an approach that uses mostly words. Interaction
with the participants is through personal, face-to-face interviews. The research paradigm for
this was the interpretivist paradigm. This paradigm is more rooted on how people interpret
their experiences and what meaning is attached to those experiences. This study
investigated participants‟ understanding of their duties as experienced in their natural
habitats, which is the school in this study. Data collected was through semi-structured
individual interviews to give room for honest and unchannelled responses.
This chapter further outlined who the participants for this study were. The participants were
members of the school management team, namely, the principal, the deputy principal and
the HoDs. The participants were selected from three secondary schools out of the nine in
the circuit. The schools were selected purposively, because of their close proximity to this
researcher. The participants were sampled because of their expert knowledge when
coming to leadership and management in schools. The participants were selected on their
service and experience in the teaching field, especially at management level. Data collected
was analysed through content analysis. Data analysis involves grouping together and
© University of Pretoria
78
labelling of data as per groupings (Cohen et al., 2011, 559). In this study, the researchers
grouped particular data analysed through content analysis technique.
Chapter four presented the data as obtained from participants of the three secondary
schools in the Sepitsi circuit. In this chapter, the collected data was arranged into themes.
Those themes were developed from the transcribed data. The themes were related to the
concepts that formed the conceptual framework of this study. As a result, the following
themes from the conceptual framework were developed: Teaching; Administrative;
Personnel. These themes were developed and analysed in relation to the school
management team members‟ duties in those teams as stipulated in PAM (1998).
The other themes that were discussed in this chapter were; General functions of the SMT;
General duties of the SMT regarding teaching; General administration duties of the SMT;
and General duties of the SMT regarding personnel management.
This chapter further elaborated on the sub-themes that were related to the research
questions that guide this study. The developed sub-themes are as follows: How do SMT
members know their duties; Knowledge of duties by SMT members; Relationship among
SMT members; Understanding of PAM; Factors that have an impact on SMT relations;
Challenges experienced and how to overcome those challenges.
Chapter five summarised the main findings of this study. The chapter summarised and
displayed the duties of SMT members, the challenges faced by these members, the
limitations and also the benefits of the distributed theory. This researcher further observed
numerous aspects from international perceptions and South African perceptions on duties
of the SMTs. This study should be helpful to the Department of Education in the Limpopo
Province of South Africa. The recommendations made in this study, if implemented, can
have a very positive impact on the standard of education in this circuit in particular, and in
the province in general.
© University of Pretoria
79
REFERENCES
Badenhorst, D. C., Calitz, L. P., Van Schalkwyk, O. J., Van Wyk, J. G., Kruger, A. G., 1996.
School Management: The task and role of the teacher. Pretoria: Kagiso Publishers.
Bevoise, W. de., 1984. Synthesis of research on the principal as institutional leader.
Educational Journal, Vol. 41(4):14-20.
Blanche, M. T., Durrheim, K., & Painter, D. (eds). 2008. Research in practice. Cape Town:
UCT Press.
Blase, J. & Blasé, J., 2000. Effective instructional leadership. Teachers‟ perspectives on
how principals promote teaching and learning in schools. Journal of Educational
Administrators, Vol. 38(2): 130-141.
Bouma, G. D. & Atkinson, G. B. J. 1997. A handbook of social research: A comprehensive
and practical guide for students. United States: Oxford University Press.
Briggs, A. R. J., Coleman, M., &and Morrison, M., 2012. Research methods in Educational
Leadership and Management. London: SAGE.
Buchel, A. J. 1995. Practical School Management II. Pretoria: Acacia.
Bush, T. 2007. Educational leadership and management: theory, policy and practice. South
African Journal of Education. Vol. 27(3): 391-406.
Bush, T. 2008. Leadership and management in Education. London: SAGE publications.
Bush, T. & Glover, D. 2002. School leadership: Concepts and Evidence, Nottingham:
National College for School leadership.
Cawood, J. & Gibbon, J. 1985. Educational Leadership: Staff Development: Pretoria:
Nasou Limited.
© University of Pretoria
80
Clarke, A. 2007. The handbook of school management. Cape Town: Macmillian.
Cohen, L., Manion, L., & Morrison, K. 2000. Research methods in education, 5th edition.
London: Routledgefalmer.
Cohen, L., Manion, L., & Morrison, K. 2011. Research methods in education. London &
New York: Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group.
Cohen, L., Manion, L., & Morrison, K. 2011. Research methods in Education. New York:
Routledge.
Cresswell, J. W. 2014. Research design international student edition. 4th edition. London:
SAGE publications, Inc.
Cresswell, J. W. 2014. Research design. Qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods
approach. (4th ed) London: Sage.
De Vos, A. S., Strydom, H., Foché, C. B., & Delport, C. S. L. 2011. Research at grassroots
(4th ed). Pretoria: Van Schaik Publishers.
Department of Education. 1996. Changing Management to manage change in Education
Report of the Task Team on education management Development. Pretoria: Governance
Printers.
DoE (Department of Education). 2002. Towards school management and governance.
Guide for school management teams. Pretoria: CTP Book Reviews.
Drew, C.J. Hardman, M. and Hosp, J. 2008. Designing and conducting education research,
Los Angeles, CA: Sage Publishers.
Fourché, C. B. & Schurink, W. 2011. Qualitative Journal of the International Aids Society
Vol. 15(2): 17357.
© University of Pretoria
81
Grant, C. & Singh, H. 2009. Passing the buck: this is not teacher leadership! Perspectives
in education. Vol. 27(3), University of Kwa-Zulu Natal.
Grant, C., Gardner, K., Kajee, F., Moodly, R., & Somaroo, S. 2010. Teacher Leadership: A
survey and analysis of Kwazulu-Natal teachers‟ perceptions. South African Journal of
Education. Vol. (30): 401-419.
Gronn, P. 2002. Distributed leadership as a unit of analysis. The leadership quarterly. Vol.
13:423-451.
Hallinger, P. & Murphy, J. 1985. Assessing the instructional management behavior of
principals. Elementary School Journal, Vol. 86(2): 217-247.
Harris, A. 2004. Distributed Leadership and school improvement: Leading of Educational
Management Administration and Leadership. BELMAS, Vol. 32(1):11-24.
Harries, A. 2002. Distributed leadership in schools: Leading or misleading? MiE, Vol 16(5):
10-13.
Harries, A. 2002. Effective Leadership in schools Facing Challenging Context, School
Leadership and Management: Formally School Organisation, Vol. 22:1:15-26
Henning, E., Van Rensburg, W., & Smit, B. (eds). 2004. Finding your way in qualitative
research. Pretoria: Van Schaik Publishers.
Hoadly, U., Christie, P. & Ward, C. L. 2009. Managing to learn: instructional leadership in
South African Secondary Schools. School leadership and management. Vol. 29(4): 373-
389.
Hofstee, E. 2011. Constructing a good dissertation. A practical guide to finishing a
Master’s, MBA or PhD on schedule. Sandton: EPE Publishers.
© University of Pretoria
82
Huber, S. G. 2004. Preparing school leaders for the 21st century: An instructional
comparison of Development programmes in 15 countries in the series context of learning .
London: Routledge.
Huber, S. G. 2004. School leadership and leadership development. Adjusting leadership
theories and development programs to values and the core purpose of school. Journal of
Educational Administration. Vol. 42(6): 669-684
Jackson, M. & Marriot, C. 2012. The interaction of principal and teacher instructional
influence as a measure of leadership as an organisational quality. Educational
Administration Quarterly, Vol. 48(2):230 – 258.
Loock, C, Camphor, T., du Preez, P., Grobler, B., & Shaba S. M. 2003. Effective Education
Management Series Module 3. Pretoria: Nasou.
Maree, J. G., (Kobus) (editor), Athanasou, J. A., Fabio, A., Elias., M. J., Ferreira, F.,
Gitchel, W. D., Jansen, J. D., Malindi, M. J., McMahon, M., Morgan, B., Mpofu, E.,
Niewenhuis, J., Perry, J. C., Panula, S., Pretorius, G., Seabi, J., Sklar, R. H., Theron, L. C.,
& Watson. 2012. Complete your thesis or dissertation successfully: practical guidelines.
Cape Town: Juta.
Macmillan, J. & Schumacher, S. 2014. Research in Education, Evidence-Based inquiry.
Pearson new international Edition, 7th ed. London: Pearson.
Maree, K., (ed) Creswell, J. W., Eberson, I., Eloff, R., Ferreira, N. V., Ivankora, J. D.,
Jansen, J., Niewenhuis, J., Pietersen, V. L., Plano, C., & Van der Westhuizen, C. 2010.
First steps in Research. Pretoria: Van Schaik Publishers.
Merriam, S. B. 2001. Qualitative research and case study applications in education. San
Francisco: Josey-Bass Publisher.
Mouton, J. 2013. How to succeed in your Master’s and Doctoral Studies. A South African
Guide and Resource book. Pretoria: Van Schaik Publishers.
© University of Pretoria
83
Muronga, M. M. 2011. The participation of teachers in the management and decision-
making of three schools in the Kavango Region of Namibia: A case study. Unpublished
Master‟s dissertation. Grahamstown: Rhodes University.
Naicker, S. & Mestry, R. 2011. Distribution leadership in public schools: Experiences and
perceptions of teachers in the SOWETO region. Perspectives in Education, 29(4).
Nkabinde M. M. B. 2012. The roles and responsibilities and foundation phase Heads of
Department. Med. Dissertation: Pretoria: University of Pretoria.
Piek, G. C. 1991. School Management 1. Cape Town: Maskew Miller Longman (Pty) Ltd.
Piek, G. C. 1991. School Management 2. Cape Town: Maskew Miller Longman (Pty) Ltd.
Rhodes, C. & Beneicke, S. 2002. Coaching, Monitoring and Peer–network challenges for
the management of teacher professional development in schools, Journal of in-service
Education, Vol. 28(2):297-310.
Rosenbush, H. S. 1997. Organisationale Pedagogische Perspektiven Einer Reform der
Schul Organisation, Schulvervaltung, Vol. (10): 329-334.
Silverman, D. 2006. Interpreting qualitative data. London: Sage Publications.
South Africa (Republic). 1998. Employment of Educators Act No. 76 of 1998. Pretoria:
Government Printer.
South Africa (Republic). 1996. South African Schools Act No. 84 of 1996. Pretoria:
Government Printer.
South Africa (Republic). 2009. School Management Manual: Ministry of Education and
human resources. Pretoria: Government Printers.
Spillane, J. P. 2005. Distributed Leadership. The Educational Forum. Vol. (69):143-150.
© University of Pretoria
84
Union of South Africa (Republic). 1953. Bantu Education Act no. 47 of 1953. Pretoria:
Government Printer.
Tondeur, N. 2008. Training manual for secondary school managers. Kigali: Minedue school
management.
Van der Mescht, H. & Tyala, Z. 2008. School principals‟ perceptions of team management:
a multiple case study of secondary schools. South African Journal of Education, Vol. 28(2):
221 – 235.
Van der Westhuizen, P. C. (ed), 1992. Effective Educational Management. Pretoria: Haum
Tertiary.
Van Deventer, I. & Kruger, A. G. (eds). 2010. An Educator’s guide to school management
skills. Pretoria: Van Schaik Publishers.
Van der Merwe, H. M. 2002. Management of the curriculum study guide. Department of
Postgraduate Education. Johannesburg: Vista University.
Wallance, K. 2002. Modelling Distributed Leadership and Management Effectiveness:
Primary School Senior Management Teams in England and Wales. UK: University of Bath.
Welman, C., Kruger, F., & Mitchel B., 2005. Research methodology (3rded). Cape Town:
Oxford University Press.
Wynn, R. & Guditus, C. 1984. Team Management: Leadership by consensus. London: A
Bell & Howell Company.
© University of Pretoria